Draco's Little Adventure
by DapperDalton
Summary: Draco, the Dragonewt, has fallen on rough times since her ill-fated attempt to woo Miia. She just keeps getting shot down, even after talking Smith into letting her go to the hot springs to 'find a host famiy'. Things take a turn for even worse when she's caught outside the resort in a blizzard. Or perhaps, for the better...
1. Chapter 1 - Dreams in White

Draco's life at the moment couldn't get any worse. This was a bit of hyperbole when taken in a broader scale, but at the moment, she thought it completely one hundred percent true. She was a Dragonewt, a descendant of dragons, blessed with their strength, resistance, charm, and good looks. She was something every creature should want to be with, or to simply be. She stood head and shoulders above the pitiful men of this land, even when she's a woman! And yet, how could it go all so wrong?

Ever since she met Miia, that wondrous, beautiful lamia it had all gone down hill. She made her move, and was rebuffed by her, then completely humiliated by that damnable human! How could Mia love that man, especially after having met HER? She was another liminal, not just another liminal, but another reptilian! She had even swallowed her pride and apologized for upsetting her. And was forgiven, actually forgiven! Only for it to be ruined in that mess with Liz showing up. She still had no idea what had happened there, but it had just made it all worse.

Her charm had just gotten tripped up, she told herself. She had lost track of the basics in going after such complicated women, and needed to get back to the basics. That's why she talked Smith into letting her go to "Yukio's Artic Inn", of course concocting a little lie in the process about "wanting to finally find a host family". Smith is so easy to predict, always going after the option that means less work for her. She had probably guessed at her true reasoning, the wide variety of beautiful monster girls that went to the resort. She probably just didn't care.

So she boarded a van carrying several other liminals and was off to the resort. It was crowded, but being around all the beautiful women made it bearable. She hadn't gotten much results from the initial flirting, the ungrateful fools seemingly oblivious to the greatness among them. Of course, that minotaur did cut her attempts short with the "get the horns" comment, but what did that cow know? Damn girl didn't have any meat left for her brain, what with both her massive muscles and those udders she called breasts. Probably could feed ten calves off those giant milk bags...

Still, she figured she'd get a better chance at it once she had arrived at the resort and out of the cramped van. So she had just let it drop. That was a mistake, because there was NO chance at all at the actual resort. She had forgotten in her haste all about the fact it was a hot springs resort. That had mixed gender bathing. There was no way she was gonna wear a swim-suit around a bunch of human men! So while all the other girls got flirtatious with their possible host families, she had just prowled around the area a little wrapped in a towel to see if any of the liminals had the same feelings as her... None seemed to.

She had gotten so fed up with hearing the giggles and laughs from the giant mixed bathing area that she had stormed back to her room. How in the world was any of this possible?! Those human men got along great with all those beautiful women, but she, another woman, another liminal, a descendant of DRAGONS, gets denied and shot down!? It drove her mad, all those... idiots! Every single one of them, complete fools! The fact that she could still hear them even in her room drove her even more up the wall! So she changed into some of the warmer clothes she had, slipped on that massive human jacket, and went for a... walk away from the resort. She just had to get away from the noise, and clear her head, cold be damned. She was a Dragonewt, and wasn't scared of a little snow!

...Of course, a little snow had became moderate snow as the clouds rolled in and it started falling fresh. She should have noticed and gone back, but she was just so caught up in how unfair it all was that she hadn't. When the first gust of wind hit her, she noticed how far she had walked from the resort and how the temperature was dropping. It had started off as a brisk walk back, then a jog, then a run, before it had become what it was now, struggling forward through feet of snow, barely able to see through the wall of white that had encompassed her on all sides. She could feel the heat leeching off of her, making her more and more sluggish as she struggled. This was definitely the low point of her life, beyond that time she was paralyzed and molested by that slime, beyond when she was harassed by that orc, beyond when Polt made her run a marathon, even beyond when she got humiliated in front of Miia by that damn human!

She hunched her shoulders and shivered, her whole body shaking like a leaf in a storm. She just had to get to the resort, and then she'd be okay. It's got heated everything, she'd regain her body heat in no time at all. They had coffee! A warm cup of coffee would pick her right up. She shook her head and huddled a bit lower as a particularly strong gust of wind blew past, her hair whipping into her face. With a growl, she pulled it out of her face and started forward again, her vision beginning to grow dark at the edges.

She couldn't die here, it would be too embarrassing! She was a dragonewt, a descendant of dragons! She couldn't freeze to death in a blizzard, especially for as stupid a reason as not noticing it coming in! She struggled forward a few more steps before tripping, falling forward face first into the snow. Her hands flailed for a few moments in the painfully cold snow, trying to push herself up as she felt hibernation start to take hold. She had to survive, to prove she was better than that human! To restore her pride! To prove she was... someone to be respected... As the last bit of darkness started to close in, she spotted a shape coming towards her through the white, the final thing she noted being that it had long red hair, before her arms gave out and she plunged back into the snow. "Mia...?"

* * *

Draco sat up in a panic, her head whipping around as she panted. She was... on a beach, a beautiful stretch of sand stretching off into the distance each way she looked. She shook her head and looked down at the white sand beneath her, running a hand across it. It felt as soft as silk, and was very, very comfortable. She sighed in relief and just leaned back onto something, glad that whatever nightmare she had been in was over. She felt something wrap around her lower half slowly, going all the way from her feet to her armpits. She opened her eyes and found herself looking at a massive snakes tail coiled about her, the scales colored an almost rust red. She felt her head come to rest on something soft, and heard that musical voice. "Why hello there Darling, did you have a nice nap?"

Draco smiled and turned to look back and up at Miia, her head situated right on one of her marvelously plush breasts. She sighed contently and shifted as much as she could, pressing her face up against one side of her chest. She took in how soft the scales felt against her bare skin, how smooth they were, and the heat they gave off. Hotter than the sun on her, or the air around her, the lamia's lower half seemed to radiate this comforting warmth directly into her body. It was heavenly after that frozen hell she had been in her nightmare. "It wasn't the best, but it's gonna be a lot better with you here."

The lamia cooed and her tail tightened a little around her lower half, not that Draco minded. The scales caressed her body in a wonderful way, impossible for even dragon to achieve. She felt them tighten around her ass, cupping it almost like a pair of hands. She felt the wonderfully soft scales slide across her chest, massaging her breasts and rubbing her nipples as they went. She let out a little moan and tried to dig her face deeper into the pillow-like cushion that was Miia's boob, inciting a small giggle from the lamia. "Oh, yes Darling, it will be much, much better..."

A small frown crossed Draco's features at the giggle, but she noted what was next to her and a devious grin spread across her face. She shifted about as best she could, wrapping her arms around Mia's chest and pulling her close. Now that she was facing her, she got a good look at the thin white t-shirt she was wearing, her nipple poking up into it and outlining itself. With a lecherous grin, she pulled Mia in and latched her lips onto the top, sucking on the breast through the thin fabric.

A gasp ran out over the waves, followed by a low, sensual moan from Miia at Draco's brazen assault on her chest. Her face lit up with a blush of excitement, her lips opening slightly in a pleasured expression as she lightly laid her own arms around Draco, their weight seeming almost non-existent on her shoulders. Her tail tightened more around her, light tremors running through its length and traveling into her own ass and breasts. "O-Oh darling... You really shouldn't. We're in public!"

Bringing her mouth off of the breast, a thin string of spit connecting her bottom lip to the nipple, she took a soft breath. Admiring the way her spit had soaked through the material, making it almost as transparent as glass. She could see everything, the almost alabaster smoothness of her skin, the light pink circle that was her areola encircling the pointed tip that was her nipple, poking out even more invitingly after a little attention and spit to stick the shirt to her skin. Miia didn't have the largest pair of breasts she had ever seen, that title going to that ogress that was in Mon, Tio. Miia's however were a much more manageable size, and Draco prefer ed that in a girl.

Taking a look around the beach, she couldn't see a single other person there, or even the sign of anyone else having ever been there. She listened to the sound of the waves lapping at the shore and the cries sea gulls wheeling far above them. A smile broke across her face, looking up at Miia as she lowered herself back to the tit. "There isn't another soul here, so just let me show you a good time."

She planted her lips firmly onto the breast, not paying the clothing any mind as she moved one hand to hold it in place. Her fingers sunk into the supple flesh of it even with the layer of cloth, and she brought her lips close, directly around and onto the teat, pressing it between her lips. Pulling her head back, she pulled the breast with her until it slipped from between her lips with a wet 'pop', and fell back into a resting position.

A sweet groan of pleasure breezing past Miia's lips spurred her on, and she latched herself back onto the tit with determination, one hand massaging the tit and working what her mouth wasn't, the other stroking Mia's back through the shirt. Her fingers danced across the cloth, digging into the soft and creamy flesh underneath. Her lips kissed and massaged, suckling through the shirt even as her tongue danced across and flicked at the hard nub, noticeable even through the fabric. She could only get faint hints of the sweet succulent taste of flesh beneath the cloth, and it drove her wild.

Miia's tail grew even hotter, the blessed warmth flowing from it directly into Draco's body, filling her up wonderfully and making her feel alive. She felt the warmth start gather between her legs, making her groan into the breast she was so firmly enthralled by. This, this had been what she wanted. Enjoying some wonderfully lewd time with this beautiful lamia, feeling oh so wonderfully warm. It was what she deserved, after going through so much shit. The music of Miia's soft moans and groans played across her ears, and the wondrous scent of lavender tickled her nose. it drove her over the edge, she had to get past the shirt.

She brought her teeth down around the breast gently, scraping it with them and getting a squeak from Miia for it. Dragging the teeth down to her teat, she gently rubbed her teeth around it, pinching it gently with them every couple seconds. She kept at it until a small bit of the shirt had come free from her skin, just a wrinkle sticking up. It was enough for her, as she quickly brought her fangs to it and bit down hard, tearing the shirt open and causing Miia to shout. Bringing her head back just as quickly, she opened her mouth to get a taste of that sweet flesh, only to taste... feathers!?

She closed her eyes and let go, turning rapidly, hacking and spitting as she brought her hands to her mouth to pick small feathers from it. Shaking her head and rubbing her tongue with a finger, she opened her eyes to find herself no longer on that beautiful beach. She was in her room at the resort, lying on the white silk bed sheets they used. Wrapped around her from her feet to just under her armpits was an electric blanket, a small wire connecting it to a small remote to control temperature and to a socket in the wall. Laying next to her, was a white feather pillow, one of its corners soaked and torn open from her rough treatment, the sheet next to her a mess of spit and feathers.

It took a few moments for it to really register, what had really happened just then. A low groan came up from her throat and she planted her face firmly into her hands, wallowing in self pity for the moment. It was official, this was the worst day of her life ever. Nothing could make it any worse. And as if by magic, she heard the door to her room open and a feminine voice speak up. "Good, you're awake! How're you feeli..."


	2. Chapter 2 - Bad Medicine

"Good, you're awake! How're you feeli…" The words drifted across the room from the door, causing Draco to freeze up as the reached her. She inwardly groaned at her completely awful luck. Perhaps the universe just had something out for her? Perhaps the universe just found it hilarious to make her life as miserable as possible? That had to be it, the universe just loved to see her squirm.

The sound of the door being shut drew her out of her mental rant, causing her to finally look up at whoever it was that entered her room. Standing with her back to her, was a human woman. She was dressed in a black t-shirt with a lot of words in english on it back, which she could not understand. A simple pair of stone washed skinny jeans, and a pair of black tennis shoes completed the outfit. Her long hair was tied back in a ponytail that extended down to just between her shoulder blades, and was the same shade of strawberry red as Miia.

Calmly turning around, the woman faced Draco and started walking towards her. She had to be around 5'8, perhaps 5'9, several inches taller than herself. Her face spoke to a mixed ancestry, half Japanese and half American if Draco had to guess, and looked vaguely familiar. Around her neck hung a black cord, carrying a small rounded triangle of an alternate red and black material. The front of the black t-shirt had a strange logo on it, the human depiction of a heart being stabbed through its center by a winged dagger, with two english words in bold white print below it. In her hands was a tray, a small pill bottle, a mug of some steaming liquid, a thermometer, and a covered dinner platter all resting on it.

Stopping directly beside the bed, the woman glanced down at the chewed up pillow and the feathery mess. Sighing deeply, she glanced around the room before spotting the desk and chairs the inn provided every room. Walking over to it, she placed the tray onto it and looked back to Draco, a small smile coming across her features. "I'm gonna need you to get up from the bed so I can change the sheets, ma'am."

Draco blinked rapidly, the words taking a couple seconds to sink in. A slight blush spread across her face in embarrassment, and she nodded rapidly. Cursing inwardly, she got herself untangled from the cocoon of the electric blanket. Really, this is only to be expected. Come here to get back to basics and try to woo someone, only to wind up being an awkward mess. The universe would have it no other way. As she stood up, she noticed the woman look quickly away from her. Looking down at herself, she noticed one simple fact. She had been stripped of all her clothing.

A strangled yelp pushed its way out of her throat as she grabbed at the cover of the bed. She yanked it off and used it to cover herself, the previous light blush roaring to life across her face. After a few awkward seconds passed where neither moved, before Draco managed to force a shout out of her mouth. "Wh-Where the h-hell are my clothes?!"

The woman sighed and went over to the rooms closet, opening the door and starting to dig through it. "They're currently in the drier I believe. You would have gotten sick, or worse, froze to death if you had stayed in them. So you can thank me later. Do you want some actual clothes, or would a bathrobe be fine?"

Draco stared at the woman for a few moments, the cogs in her head turning as she tried to process what she was just told. This human woman… had undressed her. While she had fallen into hibernation because of the cold… And thought she should thank her? Another strangled noise escaped her lips, before she managed to catch herself and cough into her fist. "A-A bathrobe will be fine for now, human."

The woman pulled out one of the complementary plush white bathrobes the resort provided, bundling it up slightly and tossing it over at Draco. Instinctively, she dropped the cover and grabbed the bathrobe. Slipping it on and tying it tight, she was glad to notice the woman had already turned back into the closet, digging out a new sheet. "Not sure if that's better or worse than 'nurse', but my name's Cartwright. Mari Cartwright."

Snorting, Draco padded over to the desk and sat down in one of the two chairs, careful of her tail, eyeing Cartwright as she carried the folded sheet over to the bed. An eyebrow quirked up as she picked up the still soggy pillow, laying it aside next to the nightstand. Sighing slightly, Draco leaned forward a bit and watched the woman work on changing the bed's sheet. She considered just ignoring the introduction to try and regain some pride, but quickly realized that'd be even worse than acknowledging the woman who apparently was responsible for saving her life. Sighing from her nose, Draco rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. "Th-Thank you then... Cartwright. I didn't think the staff kept a human nurse on hand."

Cartwright smirked slightly at that, finishing folding the old sheet and starting to lay out the new one. Draco tilted her head in confusion before she explained. "I don't work here. I work at the Cultural Exchange's clinic. They gave me some time off when I asked about becoming a host. Ms. Smith said something about "Perfect, someone who actually knows what they're doing to begin with"."

Draco nodded, looking the woman over in a new light. That's where she saw her before, just in a nurse's scrubs and not in this casual outfit. It reminded her of some other humans she had seen in the past, there was a term to refer to them that she had forgot. Either way, it mattered little in the long run. What did matter, was that there was an attractive woman in her room, who had admitted to wanting to become a host... and she hadn't seen her when she had gone prowling around the bathing area for any liminals not throwing themselves at the men... Now that she was looking at her again, she was pretty attractive, with a round face and noticeable curves to her figure. More than she had, though that wan't very difficult. A small smile tugged Draco's lips up at the corner, as she thought on how perfect this was. "So... You're looking for a homestay? What a coincidence, I'm looking for a host myself."

Cartwright snorted as she finished tucking the new bed sheet in at the edges, standing up straight before glancing back over at Draco. Striding over, she quickly picked up the thermometer and tapped one end, nodding a little bit. She turned to Draco and waggled it, ignoring her frown at having her question ignored. "I'm gonna need to check your temperature, Draco. Keep this firmly placed under your tongue, or we'll have to do it again."

Swiping the thermometer from Cartwright, Draco stuck it in her mouth with a grumble. That had been kind of annoying, her ignoring that attempt at conversation. One would think that someone would jump at the chance to speak to someone with the blood of dragons running through her veins... perhaps she was intimidated? She didn't seem to be intimidated, simply indifferent. She had to know of her importance, she was around liminals pretty much all the time for her work... In the middle of her musing, she was interrupted as Cartwright started humming, her fingers tapping a beat out with her humming.

Before she could consider what song that could have been, Cartwright plucked the thermometer from her mouth and looked at it. Nodding, she put it down onto the tray and pressed the back of her hand against Draco's forehead, causing her to freeze up a little. She hadn't exactly been expecting that, but Cartwright quickly removed her hand, leaving her to breath out a sigh of relief. Picking up the pill bottle, she looked at the label and clicked her tongue. "So, Draco, how're you feeling? Physically, I mean. I can't do much for mental health."

Trying to put on her best 'casanova' smile, Draco leaned an arm onto the desk and waved a hand. "It takes more than a little cold to do in a Dragonewt. I'm at my peak physically, and mentally. If you want me to prove either, you just need to ask." And as if the universe new what she was trying to do, a loud grumble from her stomach reverberated through the room, bringing the blush back to Draco's face and a smile to Cartwright's.

"Well, if you say so Draco. I'm gonna go get my own dinner, so you just eat up and then get some rest. If you start feeling bad, take one of those liminal-safe tylenol. If you start feeling awful, use the phone to call the front desk. They'll contact me." As soon as that all was said, she quickly went and gathered up the dirty laundry that had been piled up on the floor. Before even getting a chance to speak, she had crossed the room to the door, and exited with not even a glance behind herself.

After staring at the door for a few seconds, Draco sighed deeply and ran a hand through her hair, her brow furrowing and her lips tugging down into a frown. She had managed to blow it... That human had been acting polite, but took the first opportunity she had to get away from her. What had she even done to drive her away, she hadn't even tried to approach her about being her homestay, or romantically. It seemed the universe had decided to not even give her the chance this time. Another deeper sigh escaped her lips, and she turned to the tray and picked up the mug. Bringing it to her lips, she quickly took a big swig of the rich black coffee she found inside. Lifting up the cover of the platter to reveal several still steaming skewers of chicken. As she started to dig in, she had already decided she needed something to relax a little. Guess she was going to be bathing after all...

* * *

Draco sighed in contentment as she slid down into the hot bath, laying her head on the ledge with her arms underneath as pillows. She had been glad to find the baths completely abandoned, with everyone apparently occupied with dinner. As little thought she had actually spent on the hot springs when she originally thought to come here, she had to admit they felt really good once she got into one. She simply stretched her body out across the bottom, and let her tail float up to the surface, lazily wagging back and forth. Even if she managed to have no luck in her original purpose, this would almost make up for the disappointment. Almost.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard the heavy sound of hooves clopping against the floor. She simply tried to ignore it, guessing it was that rude minotaur from earlier. She kept her eyes closed, even as the woman walked right up to her bath. Even as she heard the sound of a towel falling to the floor, and felt the water level rise as the large muscle bound liminal lowered herself into the same bath. She only opened her eyes and glanced over at her when she started speaking in that bizarre accent. "How're you feeling?"

She twisted her head to look at the minotaur properly. She had to admit, she was pretty impressive compared to most minotaurs she had seen. The steam in the air had already given a slick sheen to her skin, showing off every line and curve of muscle along her pale body. It seemed as if she had shaved off almost all excess fat from her body, except for what resided in her probably G sized breasts, that bobbed up and down slightly in the water, her bright pink nipples coming in out and sight each time. Her blond hair was left free except for small braids that mixed into it at regular intervals, and the fur along her legs was long and shaggy. With the mixture of scars scattered across her body and face, and the large pair of black horns coming up from her head, the only accurate description for her was 'wild and dangerous'. Which made the stare she was giving even more uncomfortable, causing Draco to squirm a little under it. "I-I'm feeling fine... Why the hell do you care anyway, minotaur? You seemed pretty annoyed at me back in the van."

The minotaur shrugged, causing her chest to bounce even more in the water. She tucked her hands behind her head and stretched her legs out, almost touching the other side of the smaller bath in the process. A small smile crossed her features as she got relaxed. "You were pretty annoyin in the van. But being an ass once isn't enough to get rid of general goodwill. Besides, I wanted to make sure the effort I put in to help save you wasn't wasted."

Draco blinked a few times and groaned, planting her face into her arms. Dammit, this was too embarrassing. Did everyone in the inn know how she had almost gotten herself killed? She was never gonna live this down, she was gonna be a laughing stock for her entire time here. She might as well just head back, there wasn't any point in being here anymore. The universe had raised its hand and decreed "Fuck You". The minotaur reached out and patted her head, startling her from her internal rant. She glared over at her, which only brought a chuckle from the larger woman. "What's the matter, little lady upset that the big minotaur had to drag her in from the blizzard?"

A growl sounded from Draco's throat and her eyes narrowed, as she pushed herself up with one hand. The minotaur just kept a shit-eating grin on her face as she lazily rolled her head to the side to look at her. Draco slammed her fist into the bath floor, growling louder as she grit her teeth. "Are you making fun of me? Even after what happened, I'm still strong enough to kick your mammalian ass."

The minotaur snorted and closed her eyes, getting back to relaxing with the same grin still covering her face. Draco was half tempted to just slug her right then and there, but reined herself in a little as she began to talk. "I wouldn't do it if you didn't make it so easy. Besides, I was makin fun of you gettin annoyed at gettin saved, not that you needed savin. I've seen plenty of folk freeze to death, it isn't a laughin matter."

Draco stared at her for a little bit, before grumbling a bit and settling back down to her previous position. She glared at the minotaur from where she lay, which seemed to only make her grin wider. Eventually, she sighed and just turned to stare out one of the windows at the raging blizzard. The miinotaur cracked an eye open to look over at her, the grin dropping as she herself sighs. "Come on, you can't be that upset over the blizzard. It was pretty impressive that you made it as far as you did, considering your... poikthermal? Whatever the term is."

"It's not that..." Draco sighed out, trying to figure out what exactly to tell the hell she was gonna tell the minotaur. She had just met the woman, and she had wounded her pride a bit. But on the other hand, she was being pleasant enough now, had paid her a compliment, and apparently had helped save her life. What ultimately won out, was the over bearing need to just vent to someone. "It's the fact the universe itself seems out to fuck me. I meet this beautiful, wonderful lamia, alright? We hit it off great, but it turns out she's in love with this idiotic human man. Mammal boy's apparently got multiple liminals all trying to get with him, because he's just sooooooo nice. So I get her to go out on a small boat ride and try to get her to see why she'd be better off with me! She can't see reason, I get a little heated, and I make her angry. The mammal boy shows up and rams a boat into our boat. Bastard humiliated me in front of her!"

"I run off and the regions coordinator finds me, puts me on probation for running off on my own. Sticks me with this kobold woman to do community service, which turned out to be fishing up catfish. So I'm stuck fishing with this kobold when mammal boy shows up with a slime girl in tow! I understandably am furious at the bastard, and try to attack him. The slime must have been paralytic or something, because she just squirts me with some of her goop and next thing I know I can't move a muscle and she's got her tentacles all over me!"

"That's the last time I saw that damnable man, but that's not the end, oh no no no, it's not. I tried to get with a couple other people after Miia, but I got shot down at every turn. I even ran into that lamia again, and I apologized to her for what I did! That was the first time I had apologized ever, and she accepted it! It was only ruined by someone else I pissed off showing up and ruining everything. Now both of those two despise me. It didn't help that literally a couple minutes later, an orc started groping me and I was too surprised and embarrassed to not immediately kick his ass... But yeah, there's been other bull-shit, but over all, the universe has taken a liking to giving me shit. Probably because I'm too fabulous for this world, or something else stupid like that... Hell, the one person here who I might be able to stand as a host took the first chance she had to run off away from me."

The minotaur stared at her for a a couple moments, seeming to wait if she was done with her rant. Draco gave her an exasperated look and she nodded, rubbing her temples and sighing. She took a bit to collect her words, seeming to mull them over on her tongue before speaking. "That's uh... a lot take in. I've got a question for you though, did you know any of the people you hit on before hitting on them? Because to be honest, your an ass with an ego so big that I'm surprised it isn't popping out of your head."

Glowering at her, Draco huffed. "No, I tend to open romantically. I see no reason why I shouldn't, most women should jump at the chance to be with a descendant of dragons. I offer to let them live in the lap of luxury with me, why would I wait to express my interest?"

Tsking and shaking her head lightly, the minotaur leaned back against edge of the bath again. "You sound a lot like the minotaur bulls back among the clan. They were always goin on an on to the women they went after about how they should be with them because they were the best hunters, or won the most Glima matches. It worked on some of the girls, but most others just would pick the one that they found the least infuriating. There wasn't many options back in the clan, but here there are plenty here. So, maybe instead of trying to impress someone with what you are, perhaps try to impress them with who you are?"

Draco growled in annoyance, looking back over at the Minotaur with a squint to her eyes. What the hell did that mean, impress them with who you are? What did she think she had been trying to do? She was a dragonewt, that was who she was! A fabulous descendant of dragons, awe-inspiring, second only to full-blooded dragons! "What in the world are you going on about? Are you sure that you didn't shove some of your brain cells into your biceps."

Angrily snorting, the Minotaur got up, the water running off of her in small rivulets as she got out of the bath. Picking up her towel and wrapping it tightly around herself to contain her massive mammaries, she glared down at Draco who just turned to look back out the window. "What you are, is a Dragonewt. Who you are, is an arrogant idiotic ass who insults people who're trying to give you a touch of friendly advice. Focus a bit more on that half, maybe you'll make people want to hate you less."

Draco turned slightly to watch her tromp off, her eyes naturally being drawn to the swaying of her tail and by extension of her hips. She was half tempted to throw out another insult out after her, but it caught in her throat as she thought about what she had said. An arrogant, idiotic ass... Was that really what people thought she was? She didn't go out of her way to be unpleasant to people that weren't unpleasant to her, she just said the truth. People seemed to hate the truth for some reason... did they really dislike being reminded of how much better dragonewts were... She'd have to think on it more, as at the moment, she had a fine ass to stare at.


	3. Chapter 3 - You Could Be Mine

Draco stared silently up at the ceiling, her thoughts slipping through her grasp as she tried to get a rein on her mind. That damn minotaur and her comment about 'who you are, not what you are' had gotten to her more than she had expected. She had an answer, but for some reason she couldn't feel feel satisfied with it. She was a dragonewt, a descendant of dragons. That is who she was. It should satisfy the question, but ultimately it felt… not like the answer she should come to. That minotaur had made a comment about her being an 'arrogant, idiotic ass'. Which made her think she meant less about her race and more about her personality. Which, turned out to be even more confusing…

Rolling off her side, she placed her face into the pillow and groaned in exasperation. She hadn't really taken the time to think of what she was like as a person before. Planning romantic advances, trying to figure out how to get revenge, and complaining about how things were going wrong had taken up all her time ever since she had arrived in Japan. Before coming to the program… not much thought had been dedicated to it either. Now here she was, stuck in bed trying to wrestle with this question, and having no luck with it.

With a grumble, she sat up and wrapped the blanket around herself. Despite the fact the room was well heated, she kept it pulled tight as she went over to the window and threw the blinds open. She was met with an almost wall of dull white, the blizzard still raging outside and limiting visibility to next to nothing. She stared out at what had almost taken her life, her tail hanging limp against the floor as her mind inevitably turned back to its battle. A single thought managed to burrow through the mass of other thoughts to stand front and center. She, was an idiot.

With that single, identifiable trait in mind, everything started to click in place in her head. The universe, while definitely out to get her, wasn't the only one responsible. She was also responsible for a lot of the failures she had, too idiotic to properly think about what she had been doing. She rushed into courting Miia, and in the process alienated her. She rushed after that human and had gotten humiliated by that slime. She had rushed outside and had almost died in the blizzard. She rushed, and rushed, and rushed, and it wound up failing every single time.

A grimace formed on her face, as her grip tightened on the blanket and her own arm beneath. The thought made her angry, possibly more than even when she had been humiliated by that human. She was a dragonewt, the pinnacle of evolution, second only to the dragons from which she was descendant. Such blood demanded better! It demanded intelligence, strength, and respect. Yet here she was, disgracing that noble bloodline through her own idiocy.

Feeling a warm, wet sensation coming from her claws, she removed her hand and stared at it. In the dim light, she could only make out that something had covered them up to the knuckles. Suddenly, a sharp pain went up the arm she had been holding, making her hiss. She hurried on over to the nightstand, reaching out and flipping on the lamp. Sure enough, while lost in thought she had gripped her arm too tightly, her claws having dug four bloody holes into her skin. It had coated the blanket, and it was lucky it hadn't gotten all over the floor.

Grumbling with annoyance, Draco grabbed the blanket and began ripping it into strips. Taking the strips she had, she tied several around her arm and over the wound, having to bite the cloth and yank it tight a couple times. She could see the blood welling up into the cloth, but by this point she had gone beyond truly caring about the wound. She just didn't want to get it on any of her clothes.

Finding something that wouldn't sit on top of the bandage was difficult, but eventually she managed to find the single tank top she owned. Slipping it on, she also grabbed the single pair of jeans she owned, silently thanking herself for having the intelligence to buy such low class clothing. It was useful for times like this, when her higher quality clothing could be put at risk. With the last of it on, she silently slipped out the door and padded down the hallway.

* * *

Sitting in the resort's laundry room, gently pouring disinfectant over a self inflicted injury wasn't exactly how Draco wanted to spend any night. At the very least, the process of taking care of it kept her mind occupied. Hissing with the pain, she finished up with the disinfectant and put the cap back on. Pulling her skin slightly to look at the wounds, she winced. Her claws had dug a fair bit into her skin, but as far she could tell, it was just a flesh wound. Pulling out a roll of bandages, she started trying to wrap it around the wound. With nothing but the automatic motion of her hands, her thoughts quickly found themselves going back to the previous topic of contention. The minotaurs words.

Those words had struck a chord or something in her, despite them coming from a literal meathead. It annoyed her how the minotaur had managed to figure out a trait of her after only two meetings. What might arguably be her worse trait as well, her idiocy. If she had figured that out before even she had, perhaps she had a point about her being arrogant…

She couldn't be arrogant, right? Being arrogant means she had to think herself better than she was. Which wasn't possible, she thought of herself as a dragonewt. She couldn't be thinking more highly of herself than possible, the only thing higher than her were the actual dragons themselves. Except, she hadn't exactly been setting the best example of how a descendant of dragons should behave… She was arrogant, wasn't she?

A groan escaped her lips as finished up the bandage, tightening it one last time before putting the rest of it away in the first aid box. Replacing the box in its case, she took a few steps towards the door, redirecting at the last moment to stand next to it facing the wall. Leaning forward, she placed her head against it, trying to let the cooler temperature of sooth the headache she could feel forming. Her face scrunched up in a grimace, feeling tears start to form as who she was sunk in.

She was an idiot for rushing into things without thinking. She expected people to treat her like a proper dragonewt, yet she didn't act like one, so she was arrogant. When you're both idiotic and arrogant at the same time, you become an ass. That's who she was, as the minotaur had put it, an arrogant, idiotic ass who couldn't take a bit of helpful advice without insulting the one who gave it. She had been one hundred percent right, and she hated the fact that she had been right.

It pissed her off to no end that after all this time, and all the shit she had been through, a large chunk of it had been, if even only partially, her own fault. The fact that she had never noticed or even guessed at the reason for her misfortune, spoke volumes of herself. Imagine if she had met an actual dragon, it probably would have laughed at her and denounced her! That might have been more than she could take…

She felt the first of the tears roll down her cheeks and she leaned back from the wall, reaching up to wipe away the tears from her face. Breathing deeply in through her nose, she exhaled slowly through her mouth as she tried to calm herself. Even if she hadn't been doing justice to said blood, she still had the blood of dragons, and dammit she wasn't gonna cry like a little human girl in a laundry room. She just… just… just had to improve. She just had to train herself to act like a dragonewt should. It would just take some thought...

* * *

Yawning loudly, Draco pushed open the door and stepped into the dining room. Scattered around the room were traditional japanese style tables, most of having already been claimed by a human and a liminal. In the center of the room was a larger table with a wide variety of breakfast food laid out on it, drinks having been set up on one end. Normally, she'd have waited to get her breakfast as to avoid as many humans as she could. At the moment though, after staying up all night thinking, she was far too tired to care about them. Nor did she care about the fact that she hadn't changed out of the tank top and blue jeans she had put on earlier.

Going over to the table, her tail limply dragging along the ground, she got herself a plate and started getting herself a little bit of whatever meat she could see. After she had a decent plate full of the various meats, she went to the end of the table, sitting her plate down and grabbing a mug. Squinting at the labels on the dispensers, she figured out which one was coffee and got herself a mug full. Grabbing her plate with one hand, she glanced around the room for a spot to sit.

She barely registered the amount of people who were looking her direction when she wasn't paying attention, just trying to find a spot to sit. The minotaur from last night did manage to register in her mind, seeming to ignore her as well as the man who sat across from her. That brought Draco a small smirk, before she went back to looking for a table, at least until she felt someone tap on her shoulder.

Looking over her shoulder, she blinked as she saw the familiar red hair and annoyed look. For a moment, she thought it was Miia… until she remembered Miia wasn't there, she didn't wear black t-shirts featuring roses and crossed revolvers, and that she wasn't a human. Cartwright sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, taking a moment to compose herself before grabbing Draco's shoulder and pulling her along to a free table that Draco had missed in her… not so functional mental state.

Sitting down at the table, Draco yawned and put the plate down. Bringing the mug to her lips, she gulped down several mouthful, the heat more than welcome. Sighing contently as the warmth of the liquid spread through her body, she blinked and looked up at Cartwright, only just had really registered the fact that she was there. "Oh… Cartwright… What're you doing here?"

"Just stay there, I'll be right back." Cartwright responded with a sigh of annoyance, turning and marching back off to the breakfast spread. Draco watched her go about getting her own breakfast from where she sat, the coffee slowly working its way through her system and helping remove the morning miasma. Cartwright came back quickly enough with her own mug of coffee and plate of food. Sitting down opposite of her, she gave her an irked look before sipping her own coffee.

"What the hell did you do? I leave you looking alright, and next I see of you, you look like death." Cartwright started, putting down the mug and crossing her arms with a serious look in her eye. Blinking a little bit, Draco squinted back at her… Must be professional pride or something, making her want to make sure her patient came out of her care healthy…

Sighing, Draco reached a hand up to rub the back of her neck. "Not sure what business it is of yours, but I couldn't sleep last night. I have had a lot to think about as of last night, and not all of it was pleasant. I got lost in thought, and gripped my own arm a bit too hard. Don't human women do it as well on occasion, with their… fingernails?" She finished off the question with a look at Cartwright's fingers.

Cartwright sighed, bringing her hands up to rub at her temples. Draco shrugged to herself as she didn't see any of those long fingernails she had spotted on other human women. It was honestly kind of cute, seeing them try to pretend they had claws, even if they really didn't come close to the real deal. Cartwright reached over and poked her in the stomach, bringing her back to reality and a glare at her. "Focus on eating, I'm gonna need to take a look at your arm and change the bandages after this."

Draco opened her mouth to protest, but stopped to think. She had told herself to do this more often, at the very least she'd listen to her own advice. Normally she'd argue out of the sheer principle of someone telling her what to do… but after a little thought, it only made sense to listen. It would give her actual medical attention, she owed the woman for both saving her life and providing actual medical attention, beyond that, she still was hoping to have her as a host. Sighing deeply, she swallowed most of her pride, but couldn't resist at least a little jab. "You sound like a nanny, you know that?"

Cartwright just gave her a blank look, returning to her food without a comment. A small downward tug of Draco's lips was all that was visible before she sighed and returned to her food. The chatter of the room stood in stark contrast to the silence that engulfed their table, and the noise that filled Draco's head. Inwardly cursing, she tried to figure out a way to get into this woman's good graces. Talking to people as 'an equal' was a lot harder than she thought...

Finishing her meal off first, Draco depositing the last bit of egg into her mouth with mild satisfaction. It was bland for her taste, but it was warm and filling. Grabbing her mug with her free hand, she took the opportunity to watch Cartwright eat. She had decent table manners, but not anything beyond what seemed common place for humans. Neither did she seem to particularly enjoy her meal, her eyes lost in thought as she went at it automatically. What she was thinking about, Draco couldn't be entirely sure.

The final bite of rice being deposited into her mouth, Carwright looked over at Draco and noted her done. Quickly grabbing her mug, she stood up and started leaving the room, motioning for her to follow. Taking a sip of her own coffee, she pushed herself up from the table and went after her, with a short stop by the coffee machine to get a refill. She was gonna need it before this was over.

* * *

A sigh came from Draco's throat as she sat on the floor, Carwright kneeling next to her and inspecting her now exposed wound. It stung a little when exposed to the air, and it didn't help that Carwright kept gently shifting her arm around to look at it from new angles. She tried to ignore her as she went over to the first aid kit and grabbed the bandages, tsk-tsking slightly as she did so. "You're lucky you didn't go deeper, you would have hit muscle and needed stitches."

Rolling her eyes, Draco immediately regret it as Cartwright used her free hand to reach up and flick up nose. Hissing, she reached up and rubbed at it with her free hand. While a human couldn't do any real damage, it still hurt to get flicked by one in a soft spot like that. Surprisingly gently, Cartwright placed the beginning of the bandage against the unharmed side of her arm and started wrapping it up tighty. Squinting at her as she worked, Draco considered if it'd actually be worth putting up with this woman, if she could become her homestay. Immediately coming to the conclusion of yes, it was, she tried to start a conversation. "So… Have you had any luck finding a homestay you like, Cartwright?"

Stopping for a moment, Cartwright looked up at Draco, studying her face. She met her eye and tried to give a relaxed smile, finally noting the fact that she had rather bright green eyes. Amethysts staring into emeralds, that was a poetic way to put it, even if the situation wasn't exactly worthy of a poem. After a few moments, Cartwright looked back to the bandages with a chuckle and a slightly smile. "About the same as you've had I imagine. Almost all the liminals here are more than content to go after all the men."

Letting her smile drop, Draco sighed and nodded along, trying to figure out the meaning behind those words. They could be taken as a jab at her expense, an indirect way of saying no, she hadn't found one yet. It could be taken as a yes, she had, and the chuckle was because it wasn't her. Or it could be yes, and it was her, with the smile and chuckle being her amusement that she had to ask… There was a reason she didn't usually think things through, it tended to be really annoying. Time to just have a chat so she didn't have to think. "I don't understand how in the world they could find human men attractive. Savages, the lot of them."

An eyebrow quirked as Cartwright looked up at Draco. The look stayed there as she went back to bandaging the wound. She seemed to Draco to be puzzling out what to say next. It was good that she wasn't the only one having to think about what she said. The fact brought a small smirk to her face at her what Cartwright asked next wiped the smirk right back off. "Have you ever slept with a guy?"

Rapidly blinking, it took a few seconds for that to really register. A massive blush blazed across her cheeks, and she sputtered, eyes wide as she stared at Cartwright. This only made her break out laughing, which in turn made Draco glare at her for a moment before looking away. She should have expected something as dirty as that, or at the least kept her cool. Getting flustered like that wasn't befitting a descendant of dragons. "N-No, I have never slept with a guy' as you put it. The thought of laying with a mammalian man fills me with disgust… and reptilian men just aren't interesting."

"Eh, can't argue with that. Finding a good looking man is hard in Japan. Finding a good looking woman isn't." That reaction, was unexpected to say the least. Turning around to look at her, Draco's eyebrows arched to their fullest and she looked at Cartwright. A small smile tugged at her lips, and her eyes had just a hint of mirth in them and they finished up with the bandage. With the task done, she put the bandages away and stood up.

Draco continued staring at her as she stretched, her hands connecting above her head. As she leaned from one side to another, she noted in her mind just how attractive Cartwright was really. Unlike her own more androgynous handsome appearance, she was for lack of a better term, womanly. An hourglass formed by what had to be D-cup breasts and a wide set of hips. While her hands were directly above her, her shirt was pulled up just enough to allow a flash of a smooth stomach to be seen… wait, was that a g-string?

The shirt fell and a pair of hands fell on those hips, Draco looking up at Cartwright's amused smirk and raised eyebrow. A few seconds passed before she realized she had been very, very obviously staring. The blush reignited with renewed fervor and she planted her face into her hands with a groan. Apparently, Cartwright found that even more amusing because it wound up with her laughing and patting Draco's head. She didn't pay her any mind, keeping her face firmly out of sight even as she heard walk over to the door and say one last thing over her shoulder. "You're fun to tease, and cute when you blush. Winning pair of traits if you ask me. Try to get some rest."

It wasn't until after the door had shut, and a couple minutes had passed that Draco managed to lift her head out of her hands, her face still bright red. That had gone pretty well, all things considered. She had gotten a fairly good idea of the kind of woman her future host was, as well as the fact it seemed pretty likely could become her host. She even got a compliment! If only she didn't have the feeling her pride was going to take a beating in that woman's presence...

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **So, I haven't done one of these yet, so... First time for everything.**

 **This is my first real proper attempt at fanfiction and romance, but I'm very happy to see the few review's I got. I love the fact that I've done enough right in my writing for people to point out specific things. I just hope whoever reads this enjoyed the chapter, I will try to get the next chapter out by some point next week.**


	4. Chapter 4 - Enter Sandman

A wide but nervous smile settled onto Draco's face as she walked back towards her room. Her thoughts were racing a mile a minute, even though the coffee was starting to wear off and exhaustion starting to get a grip on her. It was very likely that woman was gonna be poking her pride with a stick almost all the time, but the fact she had been successful at all made up for it. She had come out to the resort to get back into the swing of things, and sure enough she had. Despite all the disheartening shit that had happened there up until now, she had that.

A snort and a loud 'clop, clop, clop' brought her back to reality, causing her to look up and properly take in her surroundings. Marching down the hallway with an annoyed look on her face was that minotaur from last night. Outside of the baths, she seemed to prefer to wear what looked like running shorts and a sports bra. Made sense, considering how athletic the liminal seemed to be. Wonder what could have made her that mad…

Her mind jumped back to last night in the baths, when she had insulted her. Could she still be angry over that? She could be the type to not let things go, and that also seemed like her from what little she had seen. It… wasn't really right, now that Draco properly thought about it. She had taken a little bit to understand how sound that advice was, but it had been sound advice. For her attempt at being nice and helping, she had been insulted and now was apparently really upset.

Probably at least halfway do to the lack of sleep her brain was running on, Draco jogged forward and stopped in front of the minotaur, crossing her arms and planting her feet wide. With her path blocked, the minotaur stopped and glared down at Draco, her nostrils flaring slightly as she snorted angrily. "I am not in a good mood. If you insult me again, I'm gonna take your tail as a keepsake."

Feeling her pride flair up, Draco opened her mouth to tell her to try it, but managed to stop herself. Taking a deep breath, she tried to clear her head a little. She had done this for a reason, and as much as apologizing seemed wrong to her… it equally seemed right. Besides, she really needed to get better at apologizing if she had any chance of making amends with Miia. Letting her arms drop, she placed her hands on her hips and looked up at the minotaur. "Pay attention, I'm only gonna say this once. I've only done this once before, so you should feel honored. You were trying to offer me sound advice last night, and I responded poorly. I… I apologize for insulting you last night."

As soon as she finished talking, Draco bent her head down in a small bow, clasping her hands together in front of her. Mostly to hide the blush that had covered her face. That had been easier than Miia's apology, but still difficult. It really did hurt to admit she did something wrong, but at the very least it soothed her conscious. She kept the position as she waited for a response from the minotaur. She saw the minotaur's legs shift a bit, her hooves leaving an imprint in the carpet. Eventually she heard a sigh and felt a large callused hand get put on her shoulder. "I accept it, just stop standin like that. Makin me feel uncomfortable. I honestly wasn't that bothered by it."

Draco whipped her head up and stared at the minotaur, those words sinking in. So… that wasn't what had upset her. So ultimately, that apology really wasn't needed… Well now she just felt stupid. Seeming to deflate, her shoulders slumped and she sighed. Reaching up to rub the back of her neck, she looked up at the minotaur. "I just assumed, since you looked annoyed with me last night, and were annoyed now… What was bothering you then?"

The minotaur snorted, glaring back the way she came. She seemed to grit her teeth a bit before turning back to Draco and crossing her arms. "That human I met yesterday. We hit it off pretty well in the baths, had a fair few interests in common. Turns out he was a fool though, kept on gettin grabby. I let him sit with me just out of pity's sake, but then he asked if he could have some of my milk for his coffee. I mean seriously, do I look like a dairy cow?!"

Draco backed up a bit as the minotaur got heated, watching her shake her head and grumble. A confused look came over her face, and even though she should have had better judgement, she couldn't help but ask. "Wait… does that mean that you can't produce milk, or was it just because it was a perverted question? I thought all minotaurs could produce milk…"

The minotaur leveled her glare at Draco, but seeing the exhausted and confused expression on her face, she let it drop and sighed. "No, not all minotaurs can produce milk year round. There's two types, fighting muscle bound minotaurs, and then the dairy minotaurs that produce milk for the tribe. I am one of the fighting minotaurs, so, no, I don't produce milk year round."

Nodding along, Draco scratched her head and yawned, stretching a little with her arm. "That's… interesting. I think I heard of harpies doing something similar with the their egg laying. Seems… kind of disgusting to me, to be entirely honest. I'm reptilian though, so what do I know. We only lay eggs when they've actually got something inside of them."

The minotaur blinked a little bit, looking Draco up and down with a thoughtful look. Shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot, Draco looked around the hallway for anyone else. After a moment a big grin split across her face and she laughed, clapping that big hand back onto Draco's shoulder. "You know, you're not that bad to be around when you aren't being an arrogant ass. Names Birgitte, what's yours, 'descendant of dragons'?"

"Draco. You're interesting to be around as well… for a mammal at least. Far better than those damn men. I swear they've got this place infested." Making a face, she growled and shook her head. For all the good that had come from this trip, she was still stuck in this building until the roads got good enough for them all to leave. Which, meant enduring the idiotic men and the foolish liminals who flocked to them.

Birgitte let out a small snort, lifting the hand of Draco's cheek and poking the scales on her face. Grumbling, Draco reached up to lightly slap her hand away from her face. She might have let her pride drop a little, but personal space was still personal space. Still grinning like a loon, Birgitte poked Draco's shoulder. "What about men drives you up the wall anyway? Got some bad past experiences or something?"

Draco pushed the arm away again and started walking off towards her room, calling back over her shoulder as she went. "I studied human society across the board before joining the program. All I saw made me think they're all just a bunch of savages. In person, I haven't seen much different from that. Now, if you don't mind, I'm gonna go pass out."

Sighing, Birgitte shook her head, her braids swaying back and forth with the movement. "Don't know what you read or who you've met Draco, but you believe what you wanna believe. Doesn't make it right, but I'm not gonna try and argue some sense into you. You'll figure it out eventually."

* * *

Draco sat upright with a yawn and a stretch, her wings extending to full length as she did so. She felt a slight breeze catch in them, tugging them slightly. Opening her eyes, she found herself sitting in a familiar scene. She was in the boat that she had first tried her hand at wooing Miia in, floating in the middle of it. Sitting in the same position as last time, scrunched up against the cold, was Miia.

"The winds a little chilly, isn't it?" She asked, rubbing the side of her head as she looked off to the side. Making a little noise and smiling, Draco grabbed her overcoat from where she had been using it as a pillow and tossed over to Miia. Take a little by surprise, she quickly smiled in gratitude and wrapped herself up in it.

"I have to say, that boy you were with is a real jerk for bringing another girl on your date." The words came out nonchalantly, even as Draco was fuming on the inside. Even she had a massive feeling of deja vu, she couldn't help but feel angry over the way that man treated her. The fact she was head over heels in love with him made it even worse.

The argument continued, Draco continuing to have the sense that they had done this before. She just kept getting more and more angry at the way Miia hung off every thought of the man. She even blamed her fellow liminal instead of him! Miia seemed to have notice just how angry she was getting. "U-umm… Where'd all this come from?"

"You're too good for him! But we're perfect for each other, and we're both reptiles…" Her hands frightened to fists, placing them on the sides of the boat. A stray thought had popped up in her head, something someone had said that seemed like it didn't belong. Try to impress someone with who you are, not what you are.

"Now just hold on…! Yeah, sure, dragonewts and lamia have a lot in common, but-" Miia, foolish Miia, was still holding onto him. Trying to convince me to give up… or was she? That thought floated to the forefront again for some reason, and other thoughts sprouted up around it. For a second, Draco was sitting where Miia was, staring at herself. She was… scary, looking ready to rip someone apart. Holding up a finger to stop Miia, she took a few moments to compose herself, shifting a few hairs back in place before speaking.

"But what? Mammal boy's something special because he didn't treat you like complete shit? Miia, he's been leading you on, along with all those other girls you got living with you! He isn't going to give you what you want!" Draco growled out, a little nagging feeling in the back of her head telling her this seemed off. Like a room with just one piece of furniture shifted out of place. Miia seemed to recoil at the words, curling up more before growling back.

"You… You don't know that! He already loves me, he's full of love! He shows it to everyone around him, he'd even show it to you, even though you seem to hate him for no reason! I just need to prove I'd be the best for him…" Putting her face in her hand, Draco shook her head, her tail slapping the side of the boat and rocking it. How could she make her see that he wasn't worth it! How could she make her get over her stupid crush on him?! It was like trying to get through a damn brick wall.

"Have you even tried with anyone else? I bet he isn't as unique as you think. Hell, I bet I could do as good, if not better, than him." Grumbling, Draco leaned back a little, her tail supporting her easily as she did so. Letting her stew on the question for a little bit, she looked around the park. On one of the banks, staring at her with arms crossed, was a familiar human woman with red hair. Next to her, was a muscle bound minotaur woman that was equally familiar. That thought about who she was, not what she was, drifted across her mind as she looked at them.

"I-I don't need to try with anyone else! I knew it as soon as I knew him! He's amazing, and perfect, and i love him! There's nothing more to say!" Miia's shout sounded out, drawing her attention from the familiar pair on the bank. She stared at Miia, looking at the determined, no, zealous look in her eyes. It occurred to Draco that this was beyond a crush, this was practically worship. She was completely convinced, and nothing she said would work…

"MIIA?! CLAWS OFF ASS-HOLE!" Another shout interrupted her thinking, causing her to whip her head around to spot the swan boat heading at them, Mammal Boy's furious face visible through the opening at the front. Unlike Miia's ecstatic delight at her 'darling' coming to save her, Draco just felt the sense of deja vu. She already knew the oars wouldn't be there, and that they'd be hit. As the boats collided, and she was sent flying, it occurred to her that there really wasn't any other way this could have gone.

As she hit the water on her side, she shot upright, panting rapidly. Looking around at the strange surroundings, it took a couple seconds for her to recognize it as her room at the resort. Groaning, she brought her hands to her face and rubbed it, the dream already starting to slip away like water through a grate. All she could remember was that it involved Miia, and it left her with a sense of… futility.

Growling, she got up, shivering slightly at the air on her bare skin. Wrapping her wings around her upper half and her tail around one of her legs, she walked over to the window. Outside was a world coated in white, the snow having piled up higher than her head. It occurred to her that this was the closest she had ever really been to snow. It was not an experience she wanted again.

Whacking her head against the glass of the window, she left it there as she closed her eyes. She tried to recall the events of the dream, but it wouldn't come to her. Only the fact that it has involved Mii, and left her with this sense of futility. Those two things should not mix. Miia had to come around to her, had to realize she'd be better off with her. She just had to show her why she was better than him, not just on a species basis, but on a personality basis!

A secondary thought slipped into her mind like a needle into a balloon, popping her concentration and leaving her in slight shock. She was going to be living Cartwright soon. She had been flirting with Cartwright, and she had flirted back. Her ultimate goal was Miia, and yet she had gotten herself involved with Cartwright without though. She really was a massive idiot.

Groaning, she brought her head back and brought it harder against the glass of the window. Staggering back from the pain, she brought her hand to rub her head with a grumble. She had thrown herself into a very, very difficult situation… How the hell was she going to get herself out of this one?

* * *

 **A/N: So, this is out a little late. Only a day, but still, got a tiny bit of writers block. Got over it and got the chapter so, yay. R** **evi** **ews ar** **e always appr** **eciat** **ed, I lov** **e r** **eading comm** **ents on my writing. Still only a novic** **e at it r** **eally, so any f** **e** **edback is appr** **eciat** **ed.**


	5. Chapter 5 - Are You Ready

Pacing back and forth across the length of her room, her arms tucked behind her back, Draco grumbled and growled as she thought. Her wings had been folded underneath the fluffy white bath robe she wore, and her tail waved back and forth with anxious energy. She turned and stared out the window for a moment, before turning to look at the clock. 6:10 PM, dinner had started ten minutes ago.

Draco groaned and brought her hands to her face, rubbing her eyes with the palms to keep the claws away. She had normally just ate later, catching dinner at its very tail end so as to avoid the men as much as possible. This time however, she was torn. It was her last day in the resort, with tomorrow all the liminals packing up and heading back to 'CEP Hotel', the building where all the homestays who didn't immediately get a host or were between hosts stayed. This time however, she had a reason she had to go…

The last two days had been awkward, with her having spent most of the time locked away in her room and trying to avoid Cartwright, except for the awkward times when she had to get her bandages changed. It had all been spent in trying to get to figure out a way out of the mess she found herself in. A wide variety of ideas had circulated through her head, only a couple of which seemed appealing. The one she had decided on was to simply move in with Cartwright and not go after anything, just keeping things casual. It was a lot better than the other ideas, like not moving in and waiting on Smith to find a host, or even trying to juggle an actual relationship with Cartwright while attempting to win over Miia. The only problem was, after two days of avoiding Cartwright, there was a chance she didn't want her as a homestay and had found another.

The only way to know for sure was to actually go out and talk to her, something that was driving Draco up the wall with annoyance and worry. She didn't want to go and be in that room any longer than need be, not with all the human men. Cartwright could want to sit and talk for awhile, which would be really annoying. Maybe she could get her to come back to her room, but then maybe she'd get the wrong idea. All that work could be ruined in an instant, and then she'd be back at sq-

She jumped as a heavy knock sounded on the door, her head whipping over to stare at it. After a few moments, she marched on over with a growl. Grabbing the handle, she flung it open and found herself staring up at Birgitte, who was wearing a set of black running shorts and a black tank top. Birgitte looked her up and down, snorting slightly at the sight of the bathrobe before speaking. "Cartwright asked me to check if you were coming to the dinner. Should I wait for you to get dressed, or should I just go?"

Draco stared at her for a moment, her mind trying to figure out why in the world Cartwright sent Birgitte instead of just coming herself. Did she not want to see her? Was she upset about how she had been avoiding her? If that was the case, then why in the world did she send Birgitte at all, and not just let her stay cooped up in her room? Eventually, she sighed and nodded at her as she responded "It might be a bit, wings and tail can be annoying at times."

Birgitte grunted and moved, leaning up against the wall next to the door. Closing the door, Draco hurried over to her dresser, starting to dig out clothes to wear. Underwear wasn't given any thought, just grabbing whatever happened to be on top. She didn't plan on showing off any. Next, she grabbed her favorite maroon dress shirt, following it up with simple black dress pants. Luckily, it all went smoothly, the underwear being tied off at the side, the pants going on overtop with the waistband being connected by a button at the top. Her wings were a little stiff, but she managed to get them through the large slits running up the back of the shirt, something she had sewn in after the first encounter with Mammal Boy.

Looking at herself in the mirror, she spun around a little and nodded. It was remarkably easy for her to pass off as male, especially in this country where most of the men were willowy and smaller. A little bit of styling of her hair, and she looked pretty handsome. It was mostly to keep guys away from her though, she liked giving attention, not receiving it. With one final glance over, she made her way out the door, looking over at where Birgitte leaned against the wall and speaking. "Alright, ready to go."

Birgitte looked Draco up and down, eying her carefully for a few moments before chuckling. Turning on a hoof, she started off down the hall towards the dining room. Draco followed after, eyeing Birgitte from the back as she went. She watched the tip of Birgitte's tail as it swayed back and forth, her mind suddenly calling to question why she even had one. She wasn't a centaur, so it didn't help in the same way it did for cows. It wasn't like Draco's own tail, which was strong enough to use in a fight, and had that damnable trait of being able to fall off. It seemed too small and insignificant to really do much…

"You know, I thought you were a guy when we first met back in the van. If you're looking for girls that are into girls, why not try to look more feminine? Kind of defeats the point if you get a date with someone because you look like a guy." Birgitte's words brought Draco out of her thoughts, and she looked away from the tail to look at her face, an eyebrow raised at her. She shrugged, reaching up to move some hair back behind her ear and scratch at her head as she answered

"It keeps guys off my tail, literally. I can just start off conversations by dropping that I'm a girl, but if I let guys know I'm a girl just from my looks, they won't leave me alone. I get I'm fabulous, but I rather not have to deal with them." Birgitte rolled her eyes at the response, waving a hand at her before turning back around. Raising her eyebrow again, she trained her eyes on the back of Birgitte's head as they walked. Why was she so dismissive of her opinion on human men? Considering the idiocy she recently went through, it seemed like she should be agreeing with her.

The two entered into the dining hall, the room set up in the same manner as breakfast. A buffet was laid out on the table in the center, with a wide variety of Japanese dishes and some western ones mixed in. On one end of the table was the various drinks available. Occupying most of the tables were pairs of liminal girls and human men, chatting away happily. Sat at one of the tables across from the door, sipping a drink, was Cartwright.

"Hurry up and get your food, we've been waiting for you to show." Birgitte snorted and shook her head again, walking off towards the table, sitting down at it. Cartwright looked over and waved, her shirt featuring more english with some thunderbolts worked into the lettering. Nodding at her, Draco quickly went around the buffet getting herself a plate of food and a cup of steaming coffee. Carrying both in her hands, she made her way over to the table and sat down facing the door, Cartwright to her right and Birgitte to her left.

"Were you gonna miss dinner Draco? As your nurse, I can't say that's a good idea. Getting enough to eat and eating healthy is an important part of the recovery process… Plus if you actually got some meat on your bones, you might be able to see your girls under that shirt." Finishing the tease off with an impish grin, Cartwright reached out to poke Draco's shoulder with one finger. She blanched slightly, glancing down at her chest as Cartwright giggled. Sighing, she turned to her food and started eating, slowly munching her way through a steak.

"Cartwright, please. Draco probably has had a lot to think about lately. Beyond trying to find a host, almost dying tends to do that to a person. I speak from personal experience there." Birgitte nodded at Draco, scooping her rice into her mouth. Glancing up, Draco noted how much the plastic spoon in her hand looked like a tea-spoon. Stifling a laugh, she swallowed the chunk of steak she had in her mouth before quirking an eyebrow and airing her thoughts.

"You've almost died before? I hope it was a little more dignified than what happened to me… Either way, that sounds like an interesting story." Looking over at Draco, Birgitte shrugged. Leaning over while twisting her torso slightly, she presented a side to the two of them. Reaching down to lift up the edge of her tank-top, she ran a finger along a thin white scar that went diagonally up her side, continuing up under the shirt. Draco blinked, looking from it up to Birgitte's face. Cartwright looked in with keen interest, wincing slightly as took note of its position. Birgitte let her tank-top drop to cover it before getting a distant look in her face, her lips curling up slightly in amusement.

"Back home on Svalbard, we have a tradition. The fighting minotaurs that are coming of age are split into pairs, then must track and hunt down a polar bear. The task usually isn't very dangerous, as two hunters can usually spear the beast before it can do any damage. However, I was paired with the most cowardly hunter of my generation… I think it was payback for insulting the elder's beard." Her slight smirk growing into a grin, she chuckled at the memory and rubbed her chin.

"Anyway, so all the pairs are sent out of the village and go their separate ways to hunt. We get a fair way from the village and I get a plan going. I couldn't trust the guy to stand when the thing charged, so he was to just stand back with the extra spears to throw while I let it charge me and impale itself on my spear. Simple enough, shouldn't go wrong. So we keep going and eventually find some track for a monster of a bear. Thing had to have been one of the largest seen in the clans history! My partner wanted to keep looking for another, smaller bear, but I wasn't hearing it." Laughing, she took a large swig of her drink and looked at the others. Draco looked on with keen interest, a skewer in her hand as she worked through the impaled chicken breasts. Cartwright stared, her face a little white as she seemed to forget about her food. Birgitte grinned and brought the cup down heavily onto the table, causing a few other liminals and humans to glance at her.

"I was out to prove myself, and I wasn't gonna stop, even if I had to kill it by myself! So we tracked the damn thing back and forth across the entire island. I was half convinced it was purposefully leading us on in a chase. We kept finding dead reindeer and seal remains, so we knew we were close. Eventually however, we caught up to it in the tundra. It resembled a snowbank more than a bear, just a giant mound of white walking across the snow. We dropped our supplies, make sure we can find them again, and jogged off to set the plan in motion."

"So he's got all the extra spears and I got mine. Now note, these aren't human sized spears. These things are probably twice as thick as a human spear, with a thin head to slip easily through flesh. It's an important detail. As we get close I start making noise to get its attention, while he moves off to the side a bit and stays behind me. This monster of a bear turns to look at me with its beady little eyes and it roars at me."

"Now at this point, I'm all riled up for this. My partner was trying to get me to let it go, but I wasn't going back with anything but that bear. So I bellow right back at it, and it starts charging. I get my spear planted and the tip pointing right at the beast. I bellow at it, it roars at me, my partners busy screaming his head off, it's all going to plan. It reaches me and of course, rams its shoulder right into the point of the spear. It goes halfway in before the worst possible thing happened… it snapped."

Her grin much larger now, she took a moment to get another mouthful of rice. Cartwright looked uneasy where she sat, her face still pale as she tried sipping at her drink. Draco snorted at her, stifling a laugh as she finished off the last of the chicken on the skewer. Washing down the rice with a swig from her cup, Birgitte sighed in satisfaction and looked at the two.

"So, the spear snapped. The beasts momentum carries it right into me and I go sprawling with the thing on top of me. I manage to get my hands around its head to keep it from getting a bite, but I can't stop its claws and it's tearing me up pretty good. I'm trying to shove it up enough to get one of my horns into its throat, but this thing was a behemoth. Most unexpected thing happened though… my partner grew a pair and charged it with his own spear! Rammed the thing up into its side, right behind the front leg. His pushing with that spear was enough to pick it up some, and I got my horn right where I wanted it. Between my spear, his spear, and my horn in its throat, it stopped moving pretty quickly. Partner wouldn't let me help skin the thing, or carry any of its body back though. Said I 'lost too much blood', and 'needed to rest'."

Snorting and shaking her head, she looked at the two and laughed loudly, drawing curious glances from the surrounding tables. Draco just laughed with her, shaking her head in disbelief at the story. This minotaur was even more of a brute than she thought! Did she really take such pride in something that barbaric? Looking over at Cartwright to get an idea of how she felt, she only smirked at her pale face and wide eyes. Apparently she couldn't handle something like that, good information to know.

"Um… That sounded terrifying. How the hell could you be so eager to get up and be active after taking wounds like that?" Birgitte chuckled at Cartwright's incredulous voice, waving an empty spoon at her as she chewed through her rice. Draco snorted at that, taking a big swig of her water as she watched the two start to argue, even as she stopped paying attention and got lost in thought.

So, while she had been hiding in her room, Birgitte and Cartwright had managed to become friends. It made sense, since apparently Birgitte had helped Cartwright dragged her in from the blizzard. The two seemed to have hit it off, which was probably a good thing. Birgitte almost definitely wasn't going to go with that guy who made the milk joke, and Cartwright seemed like she'd be a good host. Now the question was, how did she fit into this little trio?

They both seemed to be on friendly terms with her, with Cartwright possibly being more. So did they just want to share one last dinner with their new friend before they all wound up apart? That seemed odd, considering the fact they'd known of each other for barely a week and had talked for probably less than an hour total. Perhaps Cartwright needed them both here to decide which of the two to be her homestay? Between a dragonewt and a minotaur, normally there'd be no competition as to who was better. Considering the dragonewt in question was herself though… it was some pretty serious competition. How was she go-

Quickly bringing a hand to her forehead, she yelped and rubbed at the spot Cartwright just flicked. Cartwright just laughed as Draco gave her the stink eye, Birgitte chuckling along with her. Draco looked down at her food with a grumble, grabbing the last remaining skewer and tearing into it. Cartwright sighed a bit, giggling and reaching out to pat her shoulder. "Don't be such a baby. If you're so lost in thought that you can't hear me say your name three times, that's gonna happen. Now, how about you answer my question, and tell me what your favorite snacks are?"

Draco squinted at Cartwright, caught a bit off guard by the seemingly innocent question. She just smiled back innocently, Birgitte watching with interest as she sipped up the last of her drink. Shaking her head and letting her face fall back into a neutral expression, she sighed. "Pizza potato chips, they vaguely remind me of home… oh, and Fire canned coffee. Helps a ton when dealing with the cold. Any reason you ask?"

"Oh, I just wanna know what things I should stock up before you two arrive. If I'm gonna be a host, I might as well be prepared. Unlike a lot of the unlucky folk Smith just drops homestays onto." Cartwright shook her head with a giggle, Draco blinking rapidly and staring at her in mild shock. So… she had decided to take both of them on as homestays. Was that even allowed? She had no idea, but it was definitely the best case situation. Birgitte and Cartwright were definitely pleasant to be around, when she managed to put a bit of her pride aside. It also meant some sweet, sweet freedom from being in M.O.N.S field of view.

Birgitte coughed into her fist, reaching out to shake Draco's shoulder lightly and bring her out of the shock. Realizing she had been staring, she blushed lightly and downed the last of her coffee to cover her face. Cartwright lacked the subtlety, and just laughed, causing her to blush even more. Grumbling, Draco sighed and crossed her arms, shooting Cartwright a glare, even if she didn't notice she had a small smile accompanying it. Her pride was definitely gonna be taking a beating, but overall… this seemed like it was gonna be fun.

* * *

A/N: So, this chapter took a lot longer to make than I thought it would. Between getting distracted with reading other things on the sight, and some mild writers block on how I wanted this chapter to go, it's about half a week late. I hope people enjoy it!

I do have a question, but I'm not sure if this is the place to ask it. While trawling through the site's wide variety, I happened to come across a good story called Maid of Honor by escalus01. It was pretty well written from what I saw, and I enjoyed the concept a lot. The issue was, it seems like the writer's dropped off the face of the Earth. I was thinking about taking up the abandoned concept myself, and alternating between this and that potential story whenever I felt the urge to write for one or the other.

My question is simply is, would there be interest for it? The original story was really good, but it was sadly incomplete. I wouldn't be picking up where it left off, I don't trust myself to be able to copy their writing style. I'd be more using the concept and wrangling my own story out of it. I already got ideas for how to handle the first chapter!


	6. Chapter 6 - Only Women

Twiddling her thumbs, Draco glanced nervously around the back of the van she found herself and Birgitte sitting in. Luckily, it was large enough to fit them plus the luggage the two had with them without either being cramped. It hadn't taken long for her to pack, she hadn't bought much since she knew she'd have to move in with another host at some point. Birgitte was apparently the same, though her boxes were larger, likely do to her just owning larger stuff.

It threw her off, how fast this all was going. It had only been a day since she got back from the resort, and she was already moving into Cartwrights house. Made her wonder if she hadn't called ahead to make sure it was all set up, or that maybe Smith had cameras set up in the resort to have things ready ahead of time. Smith's capability to be lazy was vast, so that last option seemed unlikely. Sighing, she reached up and scratched at her cheek, glancing over to Birgitte.

"Where's that prideful ass who insulted me back in the baths? All I see now is a scared little girl." She laughed, giving Draco a cheeky grin. With a growl and a blush, she looked down at her hands, eyeing her claws. She really shouldn't be this nervous, she had already hit it off with Cartwright, there wasn't going to be that awkward getting to know each other period. Even still, thrice before this had gone wrong…

"I've had some bad experiences with moving in with hosts. Before you ask, no, I don't want to talk about it." She shot out at Birgitte with a glare, grimacing internally at the small look of worry that crossed the minotaur's face. She didn't want pity, she just wanted to move on and reach a point where she could be proud of herself as a dragonewt! She sighed in frustration and reached up to run a few of her claws through her hair.

She was thankful that the van had the driver sealed off, she wanted as few people as possible seeing her like this. Slapping her cheek lightly, she shook her head and growled to herself. Cartwright shouldn't see her like this, it'd make her ask questions and she really didn't want to have to answer questions. Hopefully Smith had been her usual lazy self and hadn't filled her in on her past…

She glanced up as she felt the van roll to a stop, looking over at Birgitte as the nervous energy filtered back into her eyes. Birgitte gave a smile back and started double checking that her boxes were sealed, and Draco followed suit. Her suitcase was zipped up and had everything in its proper place, and the box that had the rest of her stuff was properly taped shut. Birgitte threw open the back doors of the van and hopped out, turning around to put a box under each arm.

Draco put a box under her arm and grabbed her suitcase, climbing out next to Birgitte and looking around. It seemed like any other part of suburban Asaka, with the basic cookie cutter two story houses. The driveway had another van already in front of the van they had come in, though white instead of black.

Standing on the small porch waiting for them, were Smith in her usual business suit and shades, and Cartwright in her usual casual outfit, this time the t-shirt having some words in english written in mock blood. Birgitte smiled and quickly walked over, Draco trailing after more hesitantly.

"Finally, I've been waiting for you all day! That everything, or are you hiding more out in the van?" Leaning to the side, Cartwright squinted at the black van with its tinted windows. Both Birgitte and Draco shook their heads, and her face split into a giant grin.

"Perfect, I'll show you where to drop your stuff off!" Cartwright waved her hand in a 'follow me' motion, turning around and throwing the door open as she head inside. Smith inclined her head towards it and followed after. Birgitte followed after, leaving a confused and even more nervous Draco on the front step. It took a second for her to gather herself and follow. Smith should have made a snarky comment or something, seeing her so quiet was worrying…

She found herself immediately found herself in the house' living room, primarily consisting of a pair of chairs and a wide couch set up around a coffee table and entertainment center, complete with TV. The room's ceiling went all the way to the roof, with a skylight letting natural light in, along with several windows along the walls. A counter was all that separated it from the kitchen, which looked equally as open and moderned with a lot of room to move around, stainless steel appliances, a glass sliding door opening up into the backyard, and the floor transitioning from carpet to black and white checkered tiles. A wide set of stairs climbed up the right hand wall, and a hallway went under them deeper into the house.

Smith immediately sat herself down on the couch, picking up a steaming mug and a folder. She sipped from the mug and opened the folder, looking over the paperwork inside. Cartwright quickly led the way to the stairs, leading the two liminals up them and down the wide hallway that followed. Draco eyed the decorations as she passed them, stopping to look at some framed pictures. A young Cartwright, if she assumed correctly, holding a tiny guitar. An older preteen Cartwright smiling brightly with her arm around a woman's shoulder in front of the ocean. A teen Cartwright on what looked to be a stage with an electric guitar, her eyes closed and a massive grin covering her face as she played. Cartwright at almost her current age, in her graduation gown, holding her diploma while an older man wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

Draco was brought back to reality as Cartwright walked over and casually grabbed a hold of her ear, dragging her head down to talk directly into it. "Earth to Draco, I repeat, Earth to Draco. I know it's really interesting up there in space, but we need you back down here at the moment. Do you read me, I repeat, do you read me? Over."

Hissing slightly, Draco removed Cartwrights hand and rubbed her ear, glaring at her. Cartwright just giggled and walked back to where Birgitte had a hand over her mouth, trying to keep herself from laughing. With a sigh, Draco caught up to the two of them as they stood between two doors. Cartwright pointed at one door, then the other, then pointed at two doors at the end of the hallway. "That one is Birgitte's room, that one is Draco's. The one on the left down there is mine, the one on the right is the bathroom. Don't worry, it's been renovated for larger sizes. Don't be too long, Smith's waiting."

Rolling her eyes as Cartwright walked away, Draco opened up the door and stepped inside the room. It was a pretty basic, bare bones room as far as things went. The walls were painted a tan color, and the furniture was all white. It was just a bed with grey sheets and a queen sized mattress, a small desk, an office chair, and a dresser. There was a window looking out towards the street, and the closet was placed in the corner. The only thing of real interest was a folded electric blanket on the bed, with a small note on top. Leaving her suitcase by the dresser and her box of stuff on the desk, she went over and picked the note up, squinting slightly as she read it. 'In case you get caught in another blizzard! - Mari Cartwright'

A sigh escaped her lips as she crumpled up the note and shoved it into her pocket, a small smirk coming across her face. Cartwright was almost definitely going to be the best host she's had so far. She's gone out of her way to ask and stock up on the kind of snacks they liked, and she's given her a way to stay warm ahead of time, even if it was mixed with some teasing. Best part of all, she hadn't seen a single picture of a boyfriend. No worries about walking into a room and finding Cartwright making out with some random guy, or something more intimate…

She shuddered and shook her head, taking one last look around the room. No need to bring back memories of her last host, this was gonna be good. She just had to figure out how to sneak in and out of the house without getting noticed, and it'd be perfect… Maybe she could get Birgitte to help her out? Her mind occupied with thoughts on how to handle that aspect of her stay, she slipped out of the room and headed back downstairs.

Smith, Cartwright, and Birgitte were all there waiting for her, with various expressions. Smith seeming to not notice anyone as she moved some of her black hair out of her face while still reading, Cartwright grinning slightly and bouncing one leg, and Birgitte looking bored as she leaned against the wall and looked out the window. Choosing the remaining open chair, Draco sat down, folding her hands into her lap as she looked at Smith with a raised eyebrow. "We're all here Smith, time to get this over with."

Putting her coffee down on the table, Smith took a bundle of paperwork out of her folder and a slightly larger than normal pen out of her lapel. She made a waving motion over to Birgitte, before flipping through the packet. "We'll start with you first, Birgitte. You're lucky and have very little to sign, so I don't want to keep you for the mountain that the two of them will have to sign."

"Alright, just point out where to sign…" She stated as she carefully sat herself down on the couch, wincing slightly as the thing bent slightly under her weight. Even with the pen being a bit larger than normal, it still looked relatively tiny in her hand as she took it. Smith started pointing out lines, letting Birgitte write a sloppy signature on each before pointing out the next or flipping to another page, each one being accompanied with a 'Sign here'.

Draco quickly got bored of watching Birgitte sign the paperwork, glancing around the room before her eyes landed on Cartwright, who was watching Birgitte sign the documents with rapt attention. She took the moment to take a closer look at her, squinting slightly as she examined her face. Unlike during her stay at the resort, it seemed she had put on just a bit of makeup. Foundation and lipstick, if she had to guess. Makeup never really made sense to her. Sure, she could understand the want to look better, but using makeup seemed like cheating, especially since you stop looking that good as soon as the makeup came off.

Cartwright finally noticed her staring and grinned at her, giving her a little wave and a wink. Blushing, Draco looked away and started pretending to inspect the entertainment center and TV. Beyond the embarrassment, there was also the risk of sending Cartwright the wrong idea, or worse, Smith getting the wrong idea. If there was anything that'd make Smith turn right around and deny her becoming a homestay for Cartwright, it'd be that.

Hearing Birgitte sigh and stand up, Draco turned away from her pretend inspection. Birgitte stretched her arms a bit and walked off towards the kitchen, a small smile coming across her face as she headed for the fridge. Cartwright got up and moved over to sit next to Smith, picking the pen up herself and looking it over. Draco took the moment to stand up and start following after Birgitte, calling out to Smith over her shoulder. "I'm getting myself a drink, tell me when it's time for me to start signing."

"Your coffee's in the rightmost top cabinet, opposite the fridge!" She heard Cartwright call out before starting to write, Smith repeating the process of showing her where to sign and where to date in the packet. Smiling to herself, she moved into the kitchen, stepping behind Birgitte and opening up the cabinet in question. Sitting up there in a tidy row, was the canned coffee she asked for. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the coffee maker, a pot already made. Closing the cabinet, she started searching for a mug. It took a few cabinets, but she found one quickly enough and poured herself a mug.

A waft of steam came from the mug, finding its way to her nose as she enjoyed the scent of fresh coffee. Turning around, she sipped from the drink, not noticing the heat as it slipped down her throat. Her eyes opened a little wider and she grinned, the sweet sweet caffeine already helping pick up her mood. Turning around, she watched Birgitte pull what looked like a couple beer bottles from the fridge. Opening up the cabinet, she pulled out a large mug, sized for larger liminals. Popping the tops off with her hand, she poured them out into the mug, a frothy head forming. Grabbing the mug, she downed half of it in a single swig, smacking her lips and wiping the foam from her lips with the back of her hand. "Ah… Beer, one of the best inventions of humans."

"I can't believe you drink that swill. Then again, I suppose you haven't had a good Ornellaia or Falleto, so it's to be expected… I wonder if the Program would cover the cost if I had some shipped in…" A sly grin came over Draco's face as she chuckled, imagining Smith's face when she got the receipt for how much the wine would cost. It would tick her off more than the last bill she racked up ordering clothes!

"Whatever those are must be liquid happiness or something, because nothing beats a good beer. I've been hooked on the stuff since I tried it. Helps that I'm so big I can't really get drunk on the stuff easily." Birgitte smirked and took a smaller sip from the mug, sighing with contentment as she finished. Draco rolled her eyes and put a hand on her hip, sipping from her own mug. She couldn't really talk, since she got hooked onto coffee so easily. The drink just helped a ton with keeping her body temperature regulated.

"I can relate… but I'm still going to get some good wine in this house. You'll see a world of difference between it and that layman's brew, trust me." Draco raised her mug at Birgitte and nodded, turning and heading back into the living room to see if Cartwright had finally finished signing. She heard Birgitte sigh, her hooves sounding out against the tiles as she walked over to the backdoor and slid it open, stepping out and shutting it behind herself.

"Good timing Draco, I'm almost done." Cartwright threw out over to her as she sat down, eyeing the mug in her hand. A cheeky grin grew across her face as she looked over to Smith, who was giving Draco a stink eye. Blinking a little, Draco looked between the mug and Smith, before getting her own grin and slowly taking a sip, smacking her lips and looking her straight in the eye.

"I'm gonna get go try out some of your special blend Smith. Thanks for making us the pot!" Getting up, Cartwright gave her one last grin before heading for the kitchen. Swapping seats over, Draco sat down next to Smith, putting her mug down in reach. Smith gave her the pen, still glaring at her and her mug of coffee. With a smirk, Draco took the pen, her claws pressing into the sides in the practiced way.

Smith started pointing out the spots for her to sign, and Draco signed with practiced flourish and elegance. She compared her signature with the others as she saw them, noting the differences. Birgitte's signature was sloppy, probably from a mixture of the pen being small and a lack of experience signing anything. Cartwright was much more of an average person's signature, nothing about it standing out. Smith's signature was neat and efficient, obviously refined from constant use. By contrast, her signature was extravagant, full of swirls and flourishes of the pen. Fancy, that's what it was.

She glanced at the various forms as she signed them, reading what exactly she was signing as she went. A lot of it was simply agreements to the various rules and stipends of the Program. She had seen it three times before, so it was nothing new. What was relatively new, was the large amount of paperwork dedicated to each incident where she was caught after running away. She was indicating that yes, she had done that and that no, she wasn't going to do that again by signing. Sighing, she finished signing the papers, figuring that Cartwright without a doubt knew that she had ran away many times.

Smith closed the packet and took the pen out of her hand, glancing over at the kitchen. Draco followed suit and noticed that Cartwright had stepped outside, and was talking with Birgitte, a mug in her own hand. Standing up, Smith downed the last of her mug of coffee and motioned Draco to follow her, folder tucked under one arm. Feeling the nervous energy returning, she followed after, claws tapping against her thigh.

"Alright Draco, this is what, the fourth host now? I shouldn't have to go over these rules again, but since you've caused me extra paperwork, I'm gonna make you listen to it all again." Draco groaned, causing a petty grin to grow across her face. She immediately started going into extreme detail over all the things Draco had heard many, many times before. The only thing the dragonewt could do was sit there and nod along, growing increasingly annoyed with the coordinator.

"Now the actually important bit. I know you signed the papers, but considering it didn't stop you the last several times, I figure I should bring it up again. Don't run away again. You're lucky that I've only been giving you community service to make up for it. If you get the idea, remember Polt knows about a lot of marathons for you to run." Smith chuckled and gave her a sadistic grin. Blanching, Draco quickly raised her hands, giving her an uneasy smile.

"Relax Smith! There's no need to inflict that torture upon me again! I learned my lesson, honest, just keep that crazy kobold away from me." Laughing, Smith shook her head and gave Draco an easier smile. With a sigh of relief, Draco rubbed the back of her head and looked back at Smith. She had to give it to the coordinator, despite her lazy attitude she could dole out some very effective punishments.

"Look, you annoy me a ton and I'm sure I annoy you a ton. But I'm happy to see that you've managed to find host that you don't hate. Cartwright's a great nurse from what I heard, don't give her too much trouble. Okay?" Putting a hand on Draco's shoulder, she gave her a pointed look, an eyebrow quirked up. She blinked rapidly, giving Smith a curious look before nodding. If Smith was being nice, the least she could do was not antagonize her.

Smith gave her a relieved sigh and smile, parting her shoulder before heading off towards the back door. Draco followed after, joining her as they stepped out onto the back porch. Birgitte and Cartwright stopped their conversation and looked at the two, raising their eyebrows curiously. Smith gave them a smile and moved to shake both their hands. "I just wanted to let you know I was heading out. I'll send someone over to check how things are going same day next week. You all should get along great, so I doubt there'll be trouble. I'm taking the last of the coffee by the way!"

They all just stared as she pulled a thermos out of seemingly nowhere, darting back inside and closing the door after her. Staring at each other, Cartwright was the first to react, putting her hand over her mouth as she tried to keep from laughing. Birgitte laughed, shaking her head as her tail swished in rhythm with it. Cartwright stopped holding back and put a hand on her gut, guffawing with her. Draco looked between the two for a few moments before joining in, finding the laughter infectious. Maybe she'd actually listen to Smith and not cause trouble… It'd be a shame to ruin a good thing, right?

* * *

So, chapter 6 is out! Holidays were crazy as normal, so it took a back seat. And I got the first chapter to my Familiar of Zero story out. I'll be alternating between chapters for that one and this one, so it should be biweekly that chapters come out for this. I hope you enjoy!


	7. Chapter 7 - Piano (Wo)man

Draco leaned forward in the chair, a bored expression on her face as she watched whatever ridiculous game show that was on Cartwright's TV. She hadn't paid attention to the intro, all she knew was that men and women were being traumatized with a floor that retracted into the wall and a bottomless pit. Birgitte lay spread out in her entirety across her couch, her legs dangling off the end from the knees down and her tail brushing against the rug as it hung off the side

She couldn't see Cartwright, but she could hear her humming as she moved about the kitchen cooking. The smell of grilled meat wafting from the kitchen were far more interesting than the man shouted on the TV, but Cartwright had told them to stay out of the way. At the very least, they had gotten a new pot of coffee made, even if it wasn't that wonderful blend that Smith had used. She still couldn't believe she had a thermos big enough to fit the entire pot of coffee, she must have had multiple hidden somewhere...

Birgitte let out a guffaw as the man screamed like a little girl as he fell into the pit. Draco glanced over at her, eyeing the grin that spread across her face as she got herself up onto an elbow to grab her 'tankard' as she called it. She grabbed it and took a swig of beer, wiping off the bit of foam that got onto her face with the back of her hand. Snorting, Draco shook her head and reached for her own mug of coffee, sipping it as she looked at her. "You really are easy to please, aren't you?"

Letting out a large snort of her own, Birgitte sat up and leaned back on the couch, stretching her arms and legs. The action gave Draco a pretty good view, allowing her to watch the minoutar's well defined muscles flex on her arms and abs. Even if she was a literal barbarian, she had to admit Birgitte took great care of herself. Settling into her new position, she waved a hand at Draco. "This is all still pretty new to me Draco, let a woman enjoy some new experiences."

With a roll of her eyes, she glanced at the digital clock that sat next to the TV. 7:14 PM, meaning it had been about half an hour since Cartwright had started cooking. Shaking her head, she planted her elbows on her knees and plopped her chin into her hands, letting a breath out slowly from her nose. "I suppose I can't begrudge you. This might be boring to watch, but I'm pretty sure you can't get a good soap opera here in Japan."

Birgitte quirked an eyebrow at that, tucking her hands behind her head as she looked at Draco. "Soap operas? I hope the name isn't literal, because I rather not watch anything about soap."

Snorting, Draco shook her head and leaned more towards Birgitte, her hand resting on the arm of the chair as she smiled slightly. "Soap operas are one of the best things humans ever came up with. A combination of drama, intrigue, and romance that'll keep you on your seat for the entire season."

"Yeah, you'll be still be interested half way through, at episode two hundred when they repeat the same plot point as episode thirty!" Cartwright walked on over from the kitchen, at some point having donned an apron. Draco could only stare in horror at the state she was in, the apron and her jeans covered in splatters of what she had been cooking with, she even had soy sauce dripping from her hair! Birgitte looked at her and started laughing, grabbing at her gut as she doubled over.

Bringing a hand up to wipe the sauce off her bang, Cartwright frowned and shook her head. Reaching behind her neck to undo the apron, she took it off and folded it over her arm, waving at them to follow her."Come on, I've got dinner done. I hope you like two like gyūdon, because that's what I made! I left the beef out of your in favor of extra onions Birgitte."

Draco got up with her coffee cup and walked over to the kitchen counter, glancing beyond at the mess Cartwright made. The stove had splatters of soy sauce and other liquids spilled all over it, their bottles still sitting on the counter next to it. The pan she had used to cook was still sitting on the counter, alongside the remains of chopped onions and a bag of rice. Sitting on the counter, were three bowls smelling of meat, onions, and soy sauce sat with chopsticks already sitting in the bowl.

Taking hers from the counter, she squinted at meal, setting down her mug to use the chopsticks to inspect the food. The meat looked completely cooked, as did the onions. The rice looked steamed, and the sauce looked completely fine. Breathing a sigh of relief and earning a small glare from Cartwright, she picked her mug back up and carried it all back to her seat in the living room. Cartwright and Birgitte followed soon after, taking their own seats around the coffee table, Cartwright still giving Draco a stink eye. "I know I make a mess, but it's all in the name of good food!"

With a snort, Draco picked some of the meat up and carried it up to her mouth, shifting the chopsticks in her claws slightly to try and get a comfortable grip. Chewing ponderously and ignoring Cartwright's annoyed stare, she eventually swallowed. A glance was it took to tell her that Birgitte enjoyed the meal, choosing to abandon the traditional method and just use the chopsticks to shovel rice and onions into her mouth. "The food is good, I'll give you that. But, I've only started cooking since I got to Japan, and I can make something just as good without making that big of a mess."

Cartwright snorted herself, crossing her arms and giving Draco a small frown. Birgitte stopped for a second to chew, finally noticing the two arguing as Cartwright spoke. "Sure you can! I practiced with my mom for ages to learn how to cook that well! There's no way you're as good as me at cooking."

Draco squinted slightly, gripping her chopsticks a little tighter. Was it really harder to believe that her, a descendant of dragons, can pick up a skill faster than a simple human? She had even been proud when she managed to make something that tasted good. Though it had taken a few attempts and none of the ingredients were of the quality she wanted. There was only one thing to it, she'd have to show Cartwright and dispel all doubts. "If you don't believe me, I'll just have to show you. I'll have a list of ingredients for you to buy when ever you go shopping next. I doubt you have what I need on hand."

A small smirk came across Cartwright's face and she nodded, looking down at her bowl and snagging a piece of onion and shoving it into her mouth. Birgitte looked back between the two, sighing slightly before putting the bowl down and reaching for her tankard. "I'll be looking forward to it. Trying foods is one of my favorite things about being here. Beats eating potatoes for the seven hundredth time."

The dinner passed quickly as the three of them fell into comfortable conversation, the last of the gyūdon slipping past Cartwright's lips with a satisfied hum. Rolling her eyes, Draco quickly grabbed the bowls and stacked them up, walking off towards the kitchen. Cartwright quirked an eyebrow and looked at Birgitte, who shrugged back. Hopping up, she hurried after Draco, stopping as she spotted her starting to load the dishwasher. "Uh… I can do that myself, Draco."

Not looking away from what she was doing, Draco's tail bent over to a roll of paper towels, grabbing them before depositing them in Cartwright's hands. She looked between the paper towels and Draco, quirking an eyebrow. "You can't do this, because you got your own mess to clean up. I'm pretty sure most of the sauces have already set, since you left it until after you ate. I hope you have some cleaner somewhere."

Sighing, Cartwright went over and opened the cabinet under the sink, pulling out a spray bottle of blue fluid. Going back over to the stove, she put the bottles away and started cleaning. Draco paid her no attention as she kept loading things into the dishwasher. It really was kind of surprising to her that she adapted to doing dishes, cooking, and other such chores so quickly after she arrived in Japan. There was a bit of an initial hurdle, it seemed ridiculous for a dragonewt to have to do such things. Need eventually outweighed pride, and she started doing it.

Putting the last dish in and closing it up, she set the thing to go and straightened up. Glancing over at Cartwright, she spotted her doing the same, the stove's top looking much cleaner now. Wiping her claws off on a towel, she gave her a nod as she walked back to the living room. Sitting herself down in a seat, she grabbed her mug and took a drink, sighing contently. Cartwright walked right past her seat, heading towards and up the stairs.

Birgitte looked at Draco with a questioning look, and the only response she got was a shrug. Turning the volume on the TV low, Draco listened to her footsteps as she went down the hallway, eventually opening a door. It was a little bit before she heard her walking back, and she turned the volume back up before she appeared at the top of the stairs, a guitar case in her hand. She hurried downstairs and put it down next to her seat, popping the clasps and opening it. Gently, she took out a familiar cherry red electric guitar, smiling brightly as she dropped herself into her seat with it. "How's my sweet Caroline? Momma missed you, oh yes she did. You're probably due for a tune up, aren't you?"

Draco stared incredulously at her for a moment as she talked, before shaking her head and glancing back to Birgitte. Seeming interested, Birgitte leaned forward to look at the guitar, tilting her head slightly as she watched Cartwright start to tune the guitar, grabbing a small device from the case and attaching it to the head of the guitar. She plucked a string and looked at the device, adjusting the knob before plucking it again. After doing it a couple more times, she seemed satisfied and went to next, starting the process all over again.

"So… You know how to play that thing, or do you just keep it around for looks?" Birgitte smirked, even as Cartwright gave her an incredulous look. Draco stifled a laugh, pulling Cartwright's attention to her. Huffing a bit, she finished off tuning and nodded, looking down at the guitar and smiling.

"Of course I know how to play, and her name's Caroline. She's a Fender Telecaster, and I've had her for around… seven years now. Best gift my dad ever got me, for sure." Still smiling, she leaned back in her seat and started playing, her fingers quickly finding their place amongst the strings. Their laughter faded as they watched her play. It was readily apparent to Draco, that she really did know what she was doing as she plucked away at the strings. The song sounded vaguely familiar, she had to guess that it was another english song.

She blinked as Cartwright started to softly sing in english, her voice carrying surprisingly well despite the twanging of the guitar. It shouldn't have surprised her that Cartwright could play, since she always had that guitar pick necklace. She just didn't seem like someone who had the temperment to learn music, but she had been proven wrong. As her voice filled the room, Draco had to admit she was a pretty good singer as well.

"Why're you a nurse if you're that invested in music? I saw the pictures, you've been on a stage at least one point in your life." Draco looked at her in confusion as she finished the song. Cartwright blinked, reaching up to tuck a bit of hair behind her ear as she glanced up the stairs.

"That picture was taken at my high school's talent show, my final year. I really did want to become a musician, but…" She trailed off, before starting back up. "My prefered style of music isn't mainstream here in Japan. I tried it for a little bit after high school, even tried learning the keyboard to broaden my horizons. In the end, it just didn't seem to be working out, so I started working to be a nurse."

Sighing, she looked down at Caroline, running her hand along the guitar's neck. Birgitte and Draco nodded in understanding, though one part of that sentence caught her attention more than the rest. "You tried learning the keyboard?"

Cartwright nodded, going back to casually plucking away at the strings with one hand as she waved the other towards the stairs. "Mhm, still have the thing upstairs in my room as well. I occasionally fiddle around with it, but it isn't as nice as playing Caroline, so it usually just sits there."

The gears in her head turning, she looked over to the stairs and nodded. A keyboard wasn't exactly the same as what she had played in the past, but it was welcome nonetheless.. Now that would make this the best home she had stayed in so far. She hadn't gotten a chance to play piano since she left home, hadn't even realized she was nostalogic for it until now. Made her wonder just how rusty she might be…

"You interested in keyboard or something Draco?" Birgitte's question knocked her out of her thoughts and she dragged her eyes back from the stairs. Both her and Cartwright were giving her a curious stare. It only made sense, since she hadn't exactly been the most subtle about her interest. Nodding, she waved a hand towards the stairs and took a drink of coffee with the other.

"I was taught to play piano when I was younger. A keyboard's not exactly the same, but it's close enough that I should be able play it easily." She blinked a bit as a bright smile split across Cartwright's face. Quickly getting up, she put Caroline back into its case and hurried to her side. Grabbing a hold of one clawed hand, she dragged her up and out of her seat.

"You're showing me what you can play, right now. It's been way too long since I got a chance to play with someone!" The amount of enthusiasm Cartwright had caught Draco off guard, as she was caught in the wave. Birgitte turned around on the couch to watch, laughing and shaking her head as she shot her a confused look. The maelstrom that their host had become mounted the stairs two at a time, much to her displeasure and all but ran down the hallway, still not letting go of her hand.

Reaching the end of the hallway, she opened the door to her room and hurried in, leaving Draco standing at the entrance. She took a step in and looked around, blinking as she took it in. The room was about the same size as her room, the difference being in just how more vibrant this room was. All the furniture was a little bit more worn, with knicks and scratches. The shelves had albums lined up, with what looked like memorabilia for her favorite bands. What made the room stand out however were the posters, as each wall had at least two posters of what she could only guess to be bands. The only two she took notice was one poster resting above the bed, a cartoon image of what looked like a demon queen standing proud underneath some writing in english. The other featured a semi-familiar trio of japanese girls in bizarre school uniforms, with " **BABYMETAL"** written out below them.

"Here we are!" Cartwright cheered as she slung the strap to the keyboard's bag over her shoulder, closing the closet door behind herself. She grinned at Draco, waving at her to follow as she hurried out of the room. Taking one last glance around the room, she shut the door behind herself and quickly followed after her unusual host. She found her already at the table, unzipping the bag and pulling the keyboard out. It looked a little dusty, but she wiped her hand across it a few times and blew before poking a few button and sitting it down in front of Draco's seat.

Coming down the stairs at a more sedate pace, she glanced at Cartwright as she hurried to her own seat, still beaming as she picked up Caroline. Birgitte gave her an interested look as she leaned back on the couch, eyeing the keyboard as she sat herself down. Looking over the keyboard herself, she noted just how many buttons on it she really didn't understand. She had to make this first one sound good, until she got a chance to practice and get back into into the swing of things… Taking a small breath, she hung her hands above the keys and started playing.

* * *

If you can't tell, this chapter was a bit difficult for me to write out. I had a hard time figuring out how to keep it from being too short, but also not just be complete filler. I'm happy enough with the final product though.


	8. Chapter 8 - Song for Guy

A groan of exasperation escaped Draco's lips as she pushed her chair back away from her desk, burying her face into her hands. Peeking above her claws, she glared at the keyboard and sheet of music in front of her. Titled as "Rocket Man", the keys she needed to learn and the tempo of the song was all there for her to see. She'd taken the time to go over the keyboard completely before hand, making sure it was in the best possible condition for her to start learning. So why in the world was this song giving her so much trouble?

Grabbing her coffee mug, she brought it to her lips and found it empty. That was as good an excuse as any to take a break. She got up and stretched, letting her wings flare out to their full width as she did so. Stepping over to the mirror, she took a moment to check her appearance. The black tank top and shorts were the only real 'comfort' clothing she had, and she'd never wear them out in public. If she was going to be living with these two, she might as well get used to them occasionally seeing her in it. She sighed and tucked a stray piece of hair back behind her ear, turning away from the mirror and leaving her room.

Heading for the stairs, she paid the photos a passing glance. Another viewing hadn't gotten her any new information on Cartwright, and she doubted she ever would get anything new from them. Still, the picture of her on the stage was definitely a nice one to look at. Reaching the top of the stairs, she looked down at Birgitte sprawled out on the couch, idly munching away on a family sized bag of potato chips. On the TV was some action anime, a scantily clad woman screaming loudly while swinging an axe around.

Rolling her eyes, she descended the stairs and walked past to the kitchen. Grabbing the coffee pot, she poured what was left into her mug, sighing blissfully as the smell hit her. Working quickly, she got a new pot of coffee going and went back over to the living room. Leaning onto the back of the couch, she sipped her coffee and squinted at the screen. "...Alright, why in the world are you watching this? It's ridiculous, I mean, seriously, why in the world did they not draw her with clothes?"

Birgitte looked away from the TV for a second, glancing up at Draco's annoyed expression. She snorted, a grin forming on her face as she motioned towards her own chest with a hand. "If they drew her with clothes, you wouldn't be able to see her great set of tits! I mean, look at them, flying all over the place as she slays her foes and brings pride to her people with her enemies blood! Truly, it is an inspirational sight, and one all of the north should follow."

A deadpan expression fell across Draco's face as she stared down at her, even as she just kept grinning back up at her. Eventually, she brought a hand to to the bridge of her nose and pinched it between the sides of her claws and sighed. Going over to what she now considered her chair, she sat down and kicked her feet up. "Screw it, I'm not even going to question it. Anything about the plot I should know before sitting down to watch?"

Waving to the TV with one hand, where the scantily clad woman was still screaming, but now also punching a zombie viking in the face, Birgitte reached for her beer with the other. "That is Helgi Goldenbraid, a former shield maiden from the village of Dragonguard. The village was attacked by an evil shaman necromancer, and she gained the ability to fly into a berserker rage after being the only survivor. Now, she's going on a quest to get her revenge against the necromancer, and kicking everything that gets between her foot and his ass."

Another blank expression came over her face as she looked at Birgitte, before she just shook her head and turned back to the TV. Wiggling around a bit to find herself a comfortable position, she settled in to watch the idiotic show. Maybe the stupidity is exactly the break she needed. She wouldn't argue against a bit of eye candy either, even if the main character wasn't exactly her type. They actually had the same body type as Birgitte, maybe that's why she liked it so much?

"So… Why didn't Cartwright like what you played last night? I thought it sounded pretty, she just looked kind of disappointed." She was brought back to reality as the commercial started playing. Glaring over at her for a moment, she eventually sighed at Birgitte's curious expression and redirected her gaze to the ceiling as she thought about how to answer. It was honestly kind of sad, seeing Cartwright's face fall once she realized that the two didn't share a single song between them.

"Well… She was hoping I would play a song she could play along to. I know how to play 'Classical' music, while she knows how to play 'Rock' music. It's why she got me some sheet music earlier, it's for a song she wanted me to learn." Birgitte nodded along, sparing a glance to the TV as it started playing a commercial for some restaurant or another. Grimacing slightly at the memory, Draco shook her head. It wasn't her fault Cartwright managed to hype herself up so much. She had played Für Elise almost perfectly, there was nothing else to it.

"Ah, so that's what I was hearing while I was in the bathroom earlier. Is practice going well? I would assume swapping styles of music can be difficult." She looked back to the TV as Birgitte asked, trying not to let her frustration show. She had expected to be able to learn the song properly before Cartwright came home from work, but it was looking more like it would be all week before she had the song properly down. It was just another blow to her pride, really. It'd been so long since she last played, she was rustier than she ever cared to admit.

"It's been going… alright. It is very different from what I'm used to, but it's nothing I can't handle. A simple human song won't get the best of someone with the blood of dragons, that would be ridiculous." Birgitte rolled her eyes at the response, even as Draco tried to fake as much confidence as possible. The last thing she needed was the barbarian knowing how much she was struggling. It was bad enough with it hidden, let alone how bad it'd be if she started getting mocked, or worse, pitied.

The show luckily came back on at that moment, and the two turned back to watch it in silence. It honestly was just as ridiculous as Draco had guessed, with cliche dialogue, average voice acting, and not particularly good design work. The animation was the only thing that seemed to be above average, and they seemed to have spent it all on making sure her breasts moved realistically. About to be expected from humans, sacrificing the character's story for the sake of improving their sex appeal. Though to be honest, it probably wouldn't have been good even if they had given her appropriate armor.

Time passed, the two of them watching the anime and saying a few things to each other during the commercial breaks. She soon found herself so bored that she started making a game in her head of counting every time she heard the word 'skull' or 'blood'. By the time the marathon had ended, she had managed to reach thirty six. She groaned a little and rubbed her temple, considering the depths of humanity's awfulness when she heard Birgitte speak. "Is there singing in your style of music, Draco?"

Pulling herself out of her own thoughts, she looked over. A curious expression was written across her face, and a sigh worked its way out of her mouth as she waved a hand. "There's occasionally a choir, but that really isn't the same thing as you're thinking of 'singing'. Choir's have many, many people in them at once singing. The closest thing to what you probably imagine is opera, and it isn't exactly mainstream."

Birgitte tilted her head and scratching her cheek, thinking for a moment before speaking. "Can you give sing some for me? I rather decide if I like it or not based off of actually hearing it… You can sing, right? I'm assuming since you're a musician, you can sing."

She reached up and pinched the bridge of her nose between two claws. "I'm not particularly well trained at singing, but I know the basics. What I'm not sure of however, is my willingness to sing opera to you. Why in the world should I do that?"

"Because," She leaned forward and placed an elbow onto her knee. "we're friends and I'm asking you. Come on Draco, are you scared you're gonna butcher it? I'm not gonna make fun of you for butchering it if you do. I'll leave Cartwright that pleasure if she ever hears it."

Another sigh escaped her lips as she rubbed the bridge of her nose between two claws. It wasn't that embarrassing, and she was asking relatively politely. Beyond that, she was one of the first friends she had managed to make since coming to Japan. There was some sense of owing her a bit for actually putting up with her nonsense. Dropping her hand to her throat, she coughed a few times and made a few humming noises, before glancing down at a curious Birgitte. Inhale, exhale. She stood up. This was perfectly okay.

She brought to mind the bit of opera she remembered best, silently pleased that she actually remembered it as well as she did. The words quickly formed on her lips and she started, shifting her voice to a G1. The italian words rolled off her tongue without trouble, and she quickly found she was enjoying herself. Singing lessons had been pretty annoying, but here without any instructors, just Birgitte watching her? It really allowed her to just focus on her voice and the words. So she sang, letting it all flow as best she could.

O Mio Babbino Caro, from Gianni Schicchi. It had been her instructors favorite piece, and she could still see her singing it in her mind. A woman professing to her father how much she loved a man, and what'd she do if she could not be with him. If done correctly, it was dramatic, full of emotion, and beautiful. Her teacher always left her audience teary eyed when she performed it, and Draco had never been an exception to that. It spoke to her.

The entire piece only lasted a bit short of three minutes, but it left her breathless and leaning onto the arm of her chair. Reaching up and rubbing her throat, she winced slightly. Definitely shouldn't have tried to get to go that high, leave that for the true soprano's. A small glance at Birgitte caused a smirk to grow on her face as she took in the impressed look. "Okay… I probably couldn't listen to it for hours on end, but tha-"

She was cut off as the front door unlocked and flew open, revealing an almost frantic Cartwright. Her eyes locked onto Draco and she rushed forward. Grabbing her by the shoulders, she dragged her closer until they were almost nose to nose. A massive smile spread across her face and she started shaking her back and forth. "You NEVER mentioned being able to sing! How long have you been able to? What songs do you know? I need you to tell me EVERYTHING!"

It took her a few moments to catch up to everything that was going on as she was shaken like a ragdoll. Grabbing her arms and shoving them off, she started backpedaling, glancing over at Birgitte. If she made just the right facial expression, maybe she'd figure out that she really needed a distraction at the moment. A small chuckle escaped her lips as she watched Cartwright advance on her, before finally choosing to help. "You know Mari, the only reason I asked her to sing was because I can sing as well, and I was curious. I wanted to see how different our peoples styles were from each other."

Draco breathed a sigh of relief as Cartwright whirled to face Birgitte, her eyes going wide. She practically skipped over to her, reaching down to grab her hand and hold it tight. "Birgitte, you have to sing for us now! You've heard both me and Draco sing, now it's your turn! Get up and start belting out some lyrics girl, I know you've got a good set of pipes on you."

Now that she had a moment to collect herself, she couldn't help but feel curious about Birgitte's talents. She had a naturally lower voice as is, so she probably would turn out to be a contralto. Mixed with her mezzo-soprano and Cartwright's soprano, if she had heard it properly last night, the three of them could cover pretty much every range out there…

She was knocked out of her thoughts as Birgitte started her own song. The language was something close to norwegian, or scandinavian in general. There wasn't a single word of it that made sense to her, so all she was left to judge was the actual sound. Her voice was strong and definitely deep, steadily maintaining and swapping between F1 and F4 as the song went on. Her annunciation was good, the sounds clearly rolling off her tongue, even if she had no clue what they meant. It sounded more like a bit more like a chant than an actual song, but it was close enough.

It lasted about five minutes, and left Birgitte in a similar state to when she had finished. Breathless, a hand planted onto her hip as she took a few deep breaths. Cartwright looked as if someone had told her Christmas had come early, and quickly her hand again. "Oh my God that was amazing! What's the deepest note you can hit? Do you know any more mainstream songs, or is everything you know traditional music? I gotta teach you Sultans of Swing, it'd sound amazing with your voice! I've gotta look up the "

She couldn't help but roll her eyes as she watched Cartwright get herself more and more excited. Birgitte gave a low chuckle and glanced over at her, making a small motion with her hand to shoo her away. She mouthed a 'thank you' before sneaking off upstairs with her mug. Hopefully, Cartwright wouldn't notice her absence for a few hours. She had work to do with that keyboard.

* * *

Bringing her head back, she brought it forward into the desk and let out a sigh of frustration. The sheet music and keyboard sat in front of her, almost taunting in how easy it should be to learn this song. It didn't look complicated, and yet it continuously eluded her. She just couldn't get her fingers to work with her. The only thing she was really thankful of was that with the volume lowered and those two practicing downstairs, there was no way Cartwright could hear her mess up.

Almost as soon as she had settled into her room, Birgitte and Cartwright had started singing together. It was muffled, but she could understand maybe a word or two as it carried upstairs and through her door. The longest fragment she could hear was something in English, with the words "cold" and "hell" in it. She had absolutely no idea what in the world they were singing, but it sounded about in line with Cartwright's normal tastes.

The more she thought about it, the more it seemed almost like Cartwright was trying to make them into a band or something. Was she hoping they'd play out somewhere or something like that? That maybe they'd make it big, like ANM48? Maybe she was just over thinking things, and Cartwright's excitement was entirely based around the fact she finally had more people to play and enjoy music with again after so long.

She picked her head off the desk and rubbed the red spot that had formed. Grumbling and glaring at the keyboard, a thought strayed into her head. Why was she doing this at all? She had no obligation to try and learn this song for Cartwright, she'd really only been interested in the keyboard out of nostalgia's sake. Why was she putting so much of her own time and energy into trying to learn this song for her?

A small laugh from the doorway interrupted her thoughts and she whipped her head towards it. Cartwright was leaning against it, giggling to felt her face grow red as a blush started to form, and her eyes quickly shifted between the keyboard and her. Pushing herself off the doorframe, she walked over to Draco and glanced at the sheet music, having to stifle another giggle. "You know, the song won't get any easier to learn just because you gave it the stink eye."

"This song's been giving me way more trouble than it's worth." She moaned and planted her face into her hands while Cartwright looked on. A small sigh escaped her lips and she leaned down a bit, putting a hand onto her shoulder and rubbing it. Sitting back upright, she glanced up at Cartwright and shrugged the hand off. She turned back to face the keyboard and got her hands into the right position, only to jump slightly as Cartwright laid her hands overtop them.

"I'm the one asking you to learn, so I should help you! It's been a while since I learned this song, but I should still know it… And besides, it's easier to learn if you have something to go play along with." She could only nod her head along. Her chest pressed against her back, and she could smell her shampoo, which ironically was strawberry. After a soft but deep inhale and exhale, she gave Cartwright a nod and started playing what was on the sheet.

Her claws moved with Cartwright's fingers helping guide them. Her singing started up along with the notes, softly accompanying the tune. It vaguely registered in the back of her head that she was singing the same song that she had been practicing with Birgitte. She focused as much as she could on the sheet music. Partially because she wanted to ignore how close Cartwright had gotten, and partially because now she couldn't afford to mess up. Her pride was on the li… There was the first mistake.

A quiet groan of annoyance escaped her lips and Cartwright stopped singing to giggle. They shifted back to the beginning and started over again, only to hit the same spot and mess up again. This process went on for a fair bit, each time causing them to restart and go back through the entire thing. As she kept going, she felt herself relax more, though that might have been because she was instead just feeling frustrated. Every time she showed some sign of annoyance, Cartwright would let out a little giggle before starting them over. Was it meant to mock, or did she just find her her mistakes funny?

"There, we managed to get through the song without a single mistake. You're not gonna throw the thing out the window now, right?" She blinked and looked up at Cartwright, who'd taken a step back and was grinning down at her. Her gaze shifted to the keyboard and a small smile came on, shaking her head no. Spinning around, she turned back to the door and started walking off. "Good! I'm hoping to be able to play along with you by tomorrow at least. I hope you like stir fry, because I'm making stir fry."

She disappeared around the corner and her gaze lingered on where she was before turning back to the keyboard. Pushing herself up, she played a specific part over again. The song had conveyed a very sad tone overall, except for that one part. It sounded a lot more… hopeful. It fit her a lot better than the sadder parts that made up the rest of the song. She smirked and shook her head, turning and starting for the door as well. She had figured out why she wanted to learn the song. "The only thing you're gonna make is a mess! Wait for me!"

* * *

Do I have an excuse for this taking forever to come out? Not really. Some writers block here, a week long vacation there, working on other projects there. You can probably tell I had some trouble coming up with what to fit into the middle of the chapter before I got the idea to just fill it with more music related stuff. If any of you are still waiting, I'm sorry this took so long, and I hope you enjoyed it. I'll try to fit some more actually meaningful Birgitte and Draco interaction in the next chapter


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